Reverse of Arcadia
by Yusei
Summary: As a member of Arcadia, Rena begins to learn of the organization's secrets as a war begins to unfold. The present and the past begin to clash, unleashing a future of doubt as the Signers rise up to battle the darkness.
1. Opening of the Movement

**Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – Reverse of Arcadia**

by Yusei

_**Summary -**__ "__As a member of Arcadia, Rena begins to learn of the organization's secrets as a war begins to unfold. The present and the past begin to clash, unleashing a future of doubt as the Signers rise up to battle the darkness_".

_**Disclaimer - **__I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of the characters._

_**A / N – **__Firstly, I'd like to thank those who gave their opinion in the poll on my profile. Because of the preference among the people who did vote, this variation of Reverse of Arcadia will follow Rena as a member of Arcadia and travel through the game. In the game, I've just defeated Demak with Ruka, so I've notes on that far, which means that I should be finished before long and have a complete set. I can say now that any feelings between Rena and Yusei will be different from Sutādasuto Accelerator will be different because of the alternative past of the game. An extra note is that Okita uses a card made as Healing Wave Generator's twin after confusing the effect, and a little too late to rework the duel. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for looking. Please read and review._

* * *

**「****Neo - Domino****」****- Detention Centre**

The ice-blue haired man panted, clutching to life numbly. Was there any point in continuing to live in this dreary world? In this wretched place? Perhaps not. Perhaps he should peacefully slip out in this disturbed place and move onto the next world. Nobody cared, after all. The voice spoke in the same low tone as it had in the past; beckoning him to its shapeless arms.

That was a lie; _someone_ cared.

His eyes closed and his body slumped. Death embraced him with welcome arms as the final chilled breath clambered from his still throat.

* * *

**「****Spirit World****」****- Ancient Forest**

The innocent cry of a youngster filled the forest, swaying peacefully. She was running. Running with them. Three young mages sprinted as quickly as their short legs could carry them from the monkey creatures clutching the dreaded staffs. The needles spun in place like the hands of a clock, freezing the lagging pair. The third, leading them with a large purple hat resembling that of the legendary Dark Magician from the tales of the King of Games, just ran on, fearful of his own life. Nobody was safe; nobody could afford to put others before themselves.

Fear ruled this world now.

The cerulean-haired girl stumbled, landing on her knees, the pigtails and fringe hanging obscured any view of her face. But she remained there, on her hands and knees, panting. This wasn't where she was supposed to be.

"Someone…" she whimpered. "Someone please… help me…"

A name came from her lips, but sound had somehow ceased. Like a poor stream on a television channel, there was only half of the story revealed. And then darkness overcame the glorious place.

* * *

-遊戯王5D's-

Arcadia **~ Chapter 1 – Opening of the Movement. The World of Psychics ~ **Arcadia

**Seria / Divine -****「****Neo-Domino****」****- Arcadia Movement**

The room was cold, the blips of various machines pushed against the wall broken the silence without any rhythm. The man smirked, his auburn hair styled in a large quaff above his right eye. Dressed in a black shirt and a sage green vest with a white tie over his torso accompanied with grey trousers beneath, he gave the impression of a professional within the building. The truth being that was the case. His hands, covered by black gloves, hung as a couple behind his back, his dull grey-gold eyes scanning the subject before him. Dressed in the standard uniform of the Arcadia Movement, she laid in a pod, a glass roof open over her still body. Hair somewhere between titian and caramel in colour hung over her shoulders, resting on the front of her blades.

Over his shoulder, another woman stood, wearing the same uniform as the subject. A wide navy collar surrounded her slender neck, lined with fabric of a murky gold shade. The collar was only the top of a long robe, the shoulder pieces and edges the same darkened shade of blue surrounding a teal centre stripe that continued until the bottom of the piece hanging lower than her knees, lined with the same dim shade of gold. Beneath the piece, she wore a white shirt, accompanied with trousers of the same colour – the standard Arcadia uniform worn by all Psychic Duellists under the roof of those in charge, such as the man. Her hair was of a brighter shade, pushing it into the territory of titian with hazel eyes.

She stood at a panel of flashing keys and data stretching across the monitor in front of her, the tips of her slender fingers touched the keys gently, but hard enough to push them down. She turned to the man with a neutral face contrasting his devious smirk as he observed the records of data on a small transparent monitor in his hand, held in place by the metal rod in his palm.

"Divine" she spoke. He turned to face her. "There's a change in the subject's body".

"What do you mean, Seria?" Divine questioned her, cocking an eyebrow.

The woman pointed to a curved pattern repeating itself across the monitor, some kind of measurement. "This pattern seems to indicate that the subject may be communicating with the Duel Spirit World".

"So… it seems that they were talking truthfully" Divine mused, grasping his chin with forefinger and thumb, his eyes falling. "Fine, it seems that our research hasn't been wasted on delusions. I was beginning to really question the value of this one".

"Sir, what are you saying?" the woman asked gently, her eyes plastered onto the face of her superior's head.

"I'm saying that we should finally accept this one into the majority of the Arcadia Movement" Divine replied, lifting his eyes to meet her face. "She's been here for some time now, undergoing tests to see what worth she has to Arcadia and trying to contact the Duel Spirit World. Everything has been erased in periods as well, she has very few memories regarding this place, and now that she's achieved what we've been waiting for, I believe it's time we move her into Arcadia with the others".

"I'll trust your judgement, Divine" Seria murmured, bowing in front of him. "I'll make the preparations for the transfer".

Divine smirked; everything was going according to plan. Sure, contact with the distant world considered a fable had taken far longer than he had hoped, but it had finally happened regardless. He glanced at the girl in the corner of his eye, technically, there was something wrong with her in comparison to the others, but the gift was valuable, and another under investigation had a similar tale. In his eyes, that made them Psychic Duellists, those that would be isolated by society if their truth was uncovered. Just like those he embraced as family.

"None of the others are to learn of this one's ability" he added. "Technically, she doesn't count as a Psychic Duellist, but like the others, she has a gift and she needs caring for properly. There is no guarantee that she would be accepted into society any more than those we already have here".

"Yes sir" Seria responded, bowing once again.

"Good. For now, I'll make preparations for tomorrow" Divine continued, setting his eyes onto Seria's still and obedient face. "When this one wakes completely, take her to a room".

The orange-haired woman said nothing as she watched Divine cross the room, and the recovering subject, towards the steel blue door which slid open automatically. He didn't glance over his shoulder at either of the females as the younger and inexperienced figure opened her azure eyes slowly. Seria smiled and parted from the monitor in front of her, her fingertips leaving the keys. Instead, her focus fell upon the girl pushing herself up into a sit on the base of the pod. A step, then another, and she was where Divine had been standing, drawing the girl's eyes as her legs hung over the edge.

"Are you feeling alright?" the standing female asked, leaning forward slightly, pressing the palm of her hand against her chest. "My name's Seria, if you need anything".

The girl said nothing, but smiled somewhat; she felt more comfortable waking up to the sight of the warm and friendly face of the woman than after previous experiments when Divine had been the one; his face filled with curiosity and eagerness to learn of what it was she had found in the depths of blackness. Regardless, after a series of failed weeks, the girl's memory of Arcadia would be wiped clean and she would be informed of everything as though she had arrived for the first time – there was even a backstory to go with it.

According to the Arcadia version, the girl had suspected she had Psychic powers, which drove her away from her family as rejection settled into every aspect of her life and left her with no alternative than to flee and seek somewhere that would accept her. Divine would then have met her on a dark and cold night under a bridge as a train clattered overhead, the moonlight lit his face to prove his kind intentions. Each and every time, she had brought the tale, what other choice did she have? Divine had used his power to seal her true memories beneath a layer of brainwashing.

Seria herself had been proven not to be under the same influence, as could pretty much any other member of the Arcadia Movement. This girl was different, she was a test subject, as Divine would commonly refer to her.

And finally, he had hit something as his patience wore thin. She would be accepted into Arcadia as a Psychic Duellist. The girl tilted her head, she knew the story this time.

"Seria-san?" she asked meekly.

"What is it, Rena?" the older woman inquired.

"Could I have a glass of water please?"

Seria smiled; from what she had seen of the girl during her shifts under Divine's command in the secret area, she preferred to request small things, something well within the power of the one asked. And without knowledge of the past, she kept quiet a lot of the time she was awake.

"Sure, I'll just get one for you" she replied with an amused smile.

She turned her back on the girl and made for the door leisurely, Divine would be long gone, so his eyes wouldn't be focused on the area. It wasn't uncommon for the girl to be left alone, but it was something he despised; even without her memory, she could wander anywhere, she could easily uncover something she wasn't supposed to.

It only took two minutes to fetch the glass from a nearby room and return, finding the girl still seated on the pod's bed-like bottom, her eyes trained on the door. Seria smiled, prompting her to smile. She handed over the glass; Rena's hands slowly clamped around the clear cylinder and began to take small sips of water gratefully. It had become slightly warm with all the active monitors, Seria gripped her collar in discomfort and turned her eyes back to Rena.

"Would you like me to take you to your room?" she asked.

Rena lowered the glass and nodded. As far as she knew, she had arrived at Arcadia just a couple of days before and was just being ushered in as a member – the latter was truth. Whenever asked about the missing past, the answers would always be the same – her memories were wiped because of the incidents that haunted her, the story would be retold in order to remind her why she was there rather than leave her trembling and clueless.

Seria returned to the threshold when Rena rose from the pod, standing still and observing her uniform; exactly the same as Seria's with one difference being the navy blue centre matching the outer edges rather than a teal one to match the other's outfit. Perhaps it was a rank thing. She followed Seria to the door and tipped the rest of the water down her throat; Seria smiled once again and gently took the glass from the girl's hands.

"Come on, I'll take you there" she muttered.

Beginning, she turned away and led Rena along the corridor. One became half a dozen, an elevator ride further up the tower to the living quarters. Together, they passed several Psychic members of the Movement, each busy with their roommates or flicking through their Duel Monsters decks. Each grabbed Rena's curiosity; they had all been like she had, as far as she knew, and now they had found somewhere safe and comforting. Somewhere they could call home.

Eventually, Seria paused outside a room, prompting Rena to stop immediately, watching the older female obediently. Seria turned to face her finally.

"This'll be your room for now" she stated, opening her left hand to the door by her side. "I know what you'll think when we get inside, I'll explain then".

The door slid open, revealing the quaint room with three beds cloaked in yellow sheets. The carpet was of a pale green, almost like grass, and the walls of a pale beige colour. Within the walls, two young men stood, each clothed in the same uniform as both Seria and Rena, lilac stripes down the centre of their attires. The brunette was first to turn to the pair, smiling brightly with his eyes no more than closed slits, small spectacles gleaming as they sat on the bridge of his nose. His burnt umber hair was curled into a miniature quiff like the one Divine had sported earlier on. The other possessed dirty blonde hair, hanging either side of his forehead, his dull eyes watching the new arrivals with a somewhat bored and uninterested look. The brunette was first to step towards the two.

"Hello, Seria-san" he chirped.

"Okita" Seria replied; then turned to the blonde. "Liquid. This is Rena, she's just come to the Arcadia Movement and all the paperwork's just been sorted. She's going to be staying with you two for a while".

Okita turned to her first, smiling still, as though those curved lips had been painted onto his face. Liquid, also, wore the same face as he had a moment before.

"Pleased to meet you" the brunette responded after half a moment of uncomfortable silence. "I hope we can make you feel welcome to the Arcadia Movement".

"Yes, we'll show you what this place can really offer" Liquid added.

Seria turned to Rena, fishing something out of the concealed pocket of her white clothes and moving the possession to her. Rena's eyes fell upon a deck of Duel Monsters cards; forty in all, the standard size, yet she had yet to comprehend why Seria was handing her them.

"You can use these to duel and harness your powers" she elucidated. "Duel Monsters is how a lot of matters get settled in Neo-Domino, it's also how our powers come out. Many people in this institution have yet to fully control their powers like Divine, but these cards and duelling will help you overtime".

The girl blinked as she continued to stare at the deck, as though lost over what she was supposed to do with the cards. Her hand, however, did rise, and fell upon the deck, gripping it tightly before Seria's palm withdrew. The cards remained sealed, the tips of Rena's fingers beneath them; locking them into place.

Once her arm fell by her side, Seria retreated towards the door, gripping the frame with her slender hand and watched over her shoulder at the trio once more.

"I'm trusting you two with her, you should all prepare for training" she called. "In about an hour, you'll begin your first exercise. There's a meeting later regarding tomorrow as well".

With that, she slid through the door that hummed shut behind her. Rena turned back to Okita and Liquid, both watching her with friendly eyes. Okita was, once again, first to step forward and speak.

"Well, welcome to Arcadia" he chimed. "I hope that you'll be able to control your powers while here, that's certainly what Liquid and I are aiming for".

"We've recently moved in here ourselves, so we don't know much about this place" Liquid added. "But we know enough for the three of us get by".

"We could always meet with some more experienced members if you'd prefer" Okita suggested, twitching his head between Rena and his friend.

"I don't know, Seria did just say that we have a training session in an hour" Liquid bemoaned apprehensively. "Perhaps it would be a better idea to hang around here for a while".

"It sounds like a better idea, so that we don't miss the session. She did say it was our first" Rena added meekly. Still shy and adjusting to the new surroundings, with people who knew each other.

Okita turned to face her, smiling. Then, without words, he retreated to the bed that must have already been assigned to him and removed a large grey and blue device from beneath the supported mattress, something positioned between the four legs. He held it up to show her, smiling over the top of the gleaming gem-like centre.

"We've all got these Duel Disks, how about we have a game to get to know each other and kill some time?" he chortled lightly.

Rena grabbed her chin with the empty hand and observed the device; basic information had been implanted in her about it, along with the basics of the game. She knew how to work both, but being any good at it was an entirely different manner. Liquid's eyes shifted to his friend.

"Seriously? You use _that_ as a means of getting to know someone?"

"I didn't use it on you" Okita chuckled slyly. "There's nothing wrong with a little fun".

Seria _had_ said Duel Monsters was the way many matters were settled in the City, perhaps it wouldn't hurt. And she could see just how she coped with the instruments. She moved to the bed tucked into the corner opposite the empty corner beside the door; Okita's bed was opposite the entrance, Liquid's was parallel to his, which left Rena with the bed turned horizontal against their with the bottom end pointed in the direction of the door built into the end of the wall. Beneath it, she, too, found a Duel Disk. She climbed down onto her knees, stretching her arm and snatching the end of the flattened zones.

Liquid sighed as it was revealed and removed his own, he would need it in time. His eyes returned to the sight of Okita's pleasant face.

"Fine, but don't think you're getting away with this, when you're done, it's my turn" he declared.

A droplet of anxiety swelled on Rena's forehead, a string of challenges was something she hadn't expected. Nevertheless, she would comply with the laws of Arcadia and Neo-Domino, fixing the machine over her left wrist, the metallic clamp latched on. Okita followed suit, drawing five cards from his deck, Rena then copied him.

"You remember how to play, right?" Liquid asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Assuming you just joined, that should be the case".

Rena nodded briefly and set her eyes firmly onto Okita. It was true that she knew the game, but only the basics. Any advanced play that may have unlocked her power previously was lost to her; she was little more than a novice; perhaps that had been what she was before.

"Okay, get ready" Okita called. "This'll be fun".

Together, they called out. _"Duel!"_

**DUEL START**

**RENA - OKITA  
****4000 - LP - 4000**

**FIRST TURN – RENA**

"It's my turn" the girl called first. "Draw".

With the beginning of her first turn, Rena removed the top card of her deck, completing a full six-card hand. Her eyes scanned the text printed on each card to learn of their effects. The Psychic creatures and their supporting allies were unlike anything she had seen before. She pulled a card from her hand, placing it face-down onto the upper level of the Duel Disk.

"I'll place a monster face-down, and end my turn".

**SECOND TURN – OKITA**

"Okay, now it's my turn" Okita chirped, drawing from his deck. "I summon Royal Knight **[ATK 1300]** to the field".

In front of Okita, a white soldier appeared on the field. The exposed stomach revealed the pebble-like stones crushed into the shape of a body, further locked in place by the components of white armour lined with pale green. From its back, two large white wings curled around its body, a purple sword glistened in its grasp.

"Royal Knight, attack that face-down creature!" Okita bellowed, pointing at the concealed monster.

The shimmering figure lunged across the field, craning its arm back and aiming the glimmering weapon with the centre of the defensive hologram. Its sword plunged into the enlarged card, freezing in place as a transparent blue watery creature appeared. It vanished just as quickly, bringing a smirk to Okita's soft features.

"Genex Undine, huh?" he mused. "I wonder why you didn't play that in attack mode".

Rena clenched her teeth and pulled the card from her Duel Disk, placing it in front of the Graveyard slot, the dark opening swallowing it. Her eyes rose again to Okita, slightly darker as the competitive spirit began to sneak into both combatants, Liquid watched on without any significant difference in his features, his arms folded across his chest as he observed the girl's face almost glaring harmlessly at her opponent.

"Royal Knight's effect activates at this time – granting me half the defence points of your destroyed creature as lifepoints" the brunette chirped happily, the lifepoint counter in the centre of his Duel Disk creeping up to the adjusted value.

**RENA - OKITA  
****4000 - LP - 4600**

Liquid's beady eyes moved to Okita, he knew the man's strategy well, despite their minimal time within the Arcadia walls. They had quickly grown close enough to call the other 'friend'. Learning of their deck came with the course.

"For now, I'll set a card face-down" the brunette added, slipping the card in. "That will bring my turn to a close".

**THIRD TURN – RENA**

"My turn. Draw" Rena bellowed, tearing the top card from her deck and setting her eyes on it. "I summon Genex Turbine **[ATK 1400]** in attack mode".

The named being appeared much like a metallic barrel, filled with the glinting green and yellow light that flickered like a blinding eye. Around it, jade steel had been bent and curved into an imperfect cylinder, small structures protruding from the basic shape, two more noticeable than the third; the main being positioned above the 'eye' of the machine.

"It's stronger than Okita's Royal Knight. This should be interesting" Liquid murmured to himself.

"Like your monster, Genex Turbine has an ability" Rena bellowed, shifting her hand in the direction of her monster. "While it's on the field, every Genex monster gains 400 attack points – including Turbine".

The machine creature gave a moan as a pale blue glow crept around its form, reducing the shadow beneath it. At the same time, the value of its offense power climbed higher **[ATK 1800]**.

"Genex Turbine, attack Royal Knight" Rena shouted, extending her arm out, aimed at Okita and his doomed servant.

Royal Knight crumbled under the pressure, its body exploding easily and scattering shards of its body in Okita's way. His right arm rose, shielding his calm face as the pieces flew like the sun's light could reflect from them.

**RENA - OKITA  
****4000 - LP - 4100**

"Okita's lifepoints are almost what they were to begin with" Liquid commentated to himself, setting his eyes onto the brunette who had retreated a step during the onslaught.

Rena stood withdrawn again, her arm hanging by the hip. "Turn end".

**FOURTH TURN – OKITA**

"It's my turn now. Draw!" Okita called. He pulled the top card from his deck, holding it at arm's length when it twisted his wrist and unearthed the identity of his card. Upon seeing the golden insect, he smiled. "I activate my Golden Ladybug's ability".

"'Golden Ladybug'?" Rena echoed, blinking to ensure she hadn't missed him summoning the being previous.

Okita held it up, revealing the glittering creature in the card he had drawn. "Once I reveal it, I gain 500 lifepoints".

**RENA - OKITA  
****4000 - LP – 4600**

"That move just undid all the damage dealt in the last attack" Liquid murmured. "And if Okita can keep that card in his hand, he can _keep_ undoing damage. This is what his deck is all about".

"Next, I summon Krebons **[ATK 1200]**" Okita bellowed, throwing the card onto his Duel Disk.

The jester-like figure appeared with narrow limbs angled at ninety degrees, a wide grin crossed the white half of its face. Its invisible body could only be identified through the purple and orange clothes it wore, matching the curved hat upon its head. The tips of its boots curled like those of a court jester, juggling transparent blocks for its own amusement.

"A standard Psychic monster. Everyone here has one of those in their deck" Liquid uttered discreetly once more. "Everyone except those who had grown beyond normal standards, that is".

"In addition to Krebons, I'll set a card face-down" the brunette concluded. "My turn is over".

**FIFTH TURN – RENA**

'_Why did he play a monster weaker than Genex Turbine in attack mode?'_ Rena thought, cocking a suspicious eyebrow. _'Is it that those face-down cards are Traps ready to destroy my monsters? I can't risk Turbine, I've got to get something else on the field, or else he could release that thing for a stronger monster next round'_.

Liquid shifted his focus back to Rena as she muted debated her position, azure eyes set on the deck fixed in place. Okita smiled still, pleased that his strategy seemed to have her rumbled, perhaps she had not seen a Psychic monster before and had heard nothing of Krebons in the past. Rena gripped the top card of her deck, pulling it back over her shoulder and glancing at it in the corner of her eye.

"Draw!" she snapped. It was a monster. "I summon Telekinetic Soldier **[ATK 1700]**".

The being appeared with a blood red torso and brown trousers over its legs. Its arms rose above its masked face, invisible behind the curved glass covering, small bolt of yellow lightning flickered between its fingers.

"This is more than powerful enough to take out your Krebons" she growled, tensing the muscles in her arm. "Now you'll regret playing it in attack mode. Telekinetic Soldier, attack!"

The sparking soldier darted across the field, closing in on Krebons swiftly. But Okita didn't seem worried in the least; Rena frowned as she watched with suspicious eyes, ready for a counter that could devastate her field. Okita's hand moved away from the Duel Disk and opened as he held it in front of him, surprising her.

"I activate Krebons' ability" he protested.

"What?" Rena gasped, flinching. This was it.

"When a monster attacks Krebons, I can surrender 800 lifepoints to negate that attack and protect my monster" the brunette elucidated, smirking.

**RENA - OKITA  
****4000 - LP - 3800**

Telekinetic Soldier froze automatically in front of Krebons, inches from the weaker species, Rena clenched her jaws in disappointment, hoping she would have been able to erase any chance of a high level monster arising in the next turn. Now that threat was growing; but there was a way to fight back.

"Genex Turbine, attack Krebons!" she yelled.

From the eye-like centre of the machine, a ray of green blended into yellow emerged, stretching across the field in the direction of the endangered jester creature, whose grin had faltered.

"I see what this is – she's trying to turn Krebons' effect against Okita. Instead of gaining lifepoints each turn, he would be losing more through however many attacks she can call on" Liquid assessed, setting his eyes on Okita once his statement came to an end. "What do you plan to do to get out of this one, Okita?"

"Krebons' effect activates, cancelling your attack" Okita barked in defiance.

**RENA - OKITA  
****4000 - LP - 3000**

Both monsters retreated to Rena's side, dejected that they had been unable to rid the field of the enemy. Once they returned to their starting positions, Rena lifted a card from her hand.

"I set a card face-down. Turn end" she commented.

**SIXTH TURN – OKITA**

"Draw" the brunette called before holding up the golden insect. "Golden Ladybug's effect activates – granting me 500 lifepoints".

**RENA - OKITA  
****4000 - LP - 3500**

Rena scowled at the brunette opposite, he had easily restored a large portion of the damage she had dealt to him a turn before – and with the Golden Ladybug in his hand, he could continue over and over. Okita's smile brightened as he picked up another card from his hand.

"I activate Blue Medicine at this point" he added. "It increases my lifepoints by a further 400".

**RENA - OKITA  
****4000 - LP - 3900**

"His lifepoints are almost back to their original value" Liquid noted.

'_If he keeps increasing his lifepoints, I'll never be able to stop him'_ Rena though, clenching her jaws.

"My turn is far from over – I summon Torike **[ATK 1200]**" Okita added, slapping the monster card onto the top of his Duel Disk, beside Krebons.

What appeared as a result seemed much like a dinosaur with human fists under its green head. It crouched on its hind legs, tucked either side of its small body. The exceptions to its bright green scales were the claws and horns that protruded from its skin; three claws on each of its hind feet, two horns from the top of its head and a third between its eyes. The creature's red eyes opened as it shrieked.

"I'm tuning my Level 2 Krebons with my Level 3 Torike" the brunette announced, his voice gaining a new strength that had been lost in his kind tone.

"What?" Rena gasped in horror.

"A Synchro Summon" Liquid mumbled, unfolding his arms and turning to face Okita's field with interest.

The jester-like being vanished, two green rings soaring upwards like a couple of insects playing. They aligned themselves and descended over Torike, revealing three stars representing each level the creature possessed. These stars sapped the green dinosaur-like creature of its body, lining themselves in the centre of the two rings. A pillar of lights opened from the stars, growing wider to swallow the surrounding circles.

"I Synchro Summon… Magical Android! **[ATK 2400]**"

A pale woman appeared through the light, wearing a complex attire of turquoise, royal blue and gold patterns. The centre of its torso was covered by a large turquoise hoop extending far beyond the back of its head, glimmering jewels hanging from the back curve. In its right hand was a large shield in the shape of a number '6', glowing marks across it shimmered under the lights of the room, in the other hand, a large curved sword matching the colours of the shield and robes. The woman's pale face shone between the clamps of her headdress, a small golden circle attached by two glimmering circles over her ears. Long red hair flowed down her back. A drop of sweat slid down the side of Rena's face as she glared up at the Psychic being, her clenched jaws visible through parted lips shaped into an open frown.

"Magical Android, attack Telekinetic Soldier!" Okita bellowed, moving his hand in line with the weaker Psychic.

'_I can't save my monster, but I may as well clear the way for anything that I can get'_ Rena thought, tightening her eyes as the creature lunged forward.

Magical Android's left arm moved forward, aiming the tip of the immense sword at the target. The weapon sliced through Telekinetic Soldier with ease, erasing it from the field. At the same time, a Trap card rose in front of Rena.

**RENA - OKITA  
****3200 - LP - 3900**

"I activate Dust Tornado" she called. "Even if I couldn't do anything to help my monster, I can still get rid of your face-down card".

The card that Okita had set during his first turn exploded, leaving his nothing more to do than move the card to the Graveyard. His smile didn't fade in the slightest, especially when a bright aura surrounded Magical Android.

"My Android's ability activates, granting me 600 lifepoints for every Psychic monster on the field" he explained.

**RENA - OKITA  
****3200 - LP - 4500**

"No matter what happens, Okita gains more lifepoints every turn. Too many to be taken down easily" Liquid commented, moving his eyes to the Synchro Monster in front of the brunette. "And with that thing out, he's untouchable".

"I'll hand things over to you now, Rena" Okita added, friendly holding his hand open as though to physically pass something on.

**SEVENTH TURN – RENA**

Rena drew from her deck, setting her eyes onto it. Another drop of sweat tickled her forehead as it slithered down towards her twisted eyebrows as she anxiously examined the card, it certainly looked useful. There was only one way to find out if it truly could be.

"I set a card face-down" she declared before pressing the tips of her fingers against Turbine's card. "I'm switching Turbine into defence mode as well **[DEF 1300]**".

The machine on her field inched back defensively, drowned in a new shade of blue to signify its shielding position. Keeping her eyes on her opponent, Rena pulled the central card from her hand, laying it face-down beside Genex Turbine.

"I'll set a monster and leave thins there" she confirmed. "Your move, Okita".

**EIGHTH TURN – OKITA**

"Draw" Okita sounded, removing the top card of his deck. "And naturally, I reveal Golden Ladybug once again, increasing my lifepoints by a further 500".

**RENA - OKITA  
****3200 - LP - 5000**

He deposited the new addition to his hand into the few cards supported only by his fingers and thumb. With that done, he turned his attention back to his lone creature.

"Magical Android, attack Genex Turbine!"

The Synchro creature lunged forward, aiming its glowing sword at the blue Genex ahead of it. Rena's arm shot forward, parting from the round centre of her Duel Disk once one of the keys began to glow, a response from a rapid activation.

"Reverse card – Nightmare Wheel!" she hollered in protest.

"What?" Okita gasped, recoiling.

A large metallic wheel held by the bones of a large skull appeared, ensnarling Magical Android in its steel clutches. The woman looked horrified as she was bound against the wheel, her back curved as her hands were pressed just inches below the rock-like fangs hanging from the top jaw.

"This stops your Magical Android from attacking, and you can't change her into Defence mode" Rena explained. "And during my Standby Phase, it'll deal 500 points of damage to you".

"Impressive, but I can still activate Magical Android's effect" Okita replied, smirking. "So I'll get anther 600 lifepoints".

**RENA - OKITA  
****3200 - LP - 5600**

Rena scowled, no matter how many turns passed, Okita would gain too many lifepoints for her Nightmare Wheel to deal any significant damage – he was gaining more than double all she could inflict. He was safe.

"Turn end".

**NINETH TURN – RENA**

"Draw" she called, keeping the card in her right hand. "And because my turn begins, Nightmare Wheel activates. So you'll lose 500 points now".

The contraption creaked as it began to move, rotating once with the bound being struggling against the cuffs that held her down. Everything proved futile, escape wasn't possible.

"Reverse card open: Energy-Absorbing Monolith!" Okita snapped, lifting the surviving face-down card in front of him.

"Here it comes" Liquid murmured.

"This card negates damage through an effect and instead increases my lifepoints by the same amount that I would have lost".

"No way" Rena gasped, recoiling in shock. Every plan was backfiring with each play she made.

Okita smiled as a soft glow surrounded him in the place of a sinister red aura, pushing his lifepoints higher.

**RENA - OKITA  
****3200 - LP - 6100**

"Dammit" Rena scowled. "Fine, I'll switch Genex Turbine into attack mode" she called, turning the card around again. The machine on the field turned green once more.

"What good will that do you?" Okita chuckled, tapping his chin with his forefinger.

"Not much, until I release my face-down monster to Advance Summon Majestic Mech – Ohka! **[ATK 2400]**" Rena responded.

A pink lion-like creature materialised in the place where the face-down monster had been. Much like Royal Knight, the animal's body was made primarily of crushed gems, contained by segments of armour and lined with darker pink marking. Its mane, tail and wings sprouting from the chest piece resembled the feathers of Royal's Knight's wings, proving the two to be connected in some way.

"It's got the same attack power as Magical Android, you still can't overcome it" Okita commented, raising an eyebrow. "Just what are you planning?"

"This" Rena replied as she threw down a card, slotting it into the lower compartment beneath Ohka. "Rush Recklessly – this increases the attack points of a monster by 700 for this turn. So just to tip it over the edge, I'll equip it to Genex Turbine". The monster moaned as a blue wave surrounded it, pushing its offensive power higher **[ATK 2500]**.

"Oh no, now it's stronger" Okita gasped.

"Turbine, attack Magical Android!"

From the centre of Turbine's front face, the glinting circle began to shine brighter, gathering the energy necessary to take out the trapped monster, one much stronger than it normally. Seconds passed before it reached the critical amount and the beam discharged, roaring fiercely. Okita's face paled as he watched helplessly, with no face-down cards to unnerve the opposition; the beam sliced through Magical Android, blasting a hole through both her and the Nightmare Wheel she was connected to. Together, they exploded. Okita lifted his arm in front of his face, steadying himself as the gusts that erupted from the explosion howled violently, his uniform flapped wildly.

**RENA - OKITA  
****3200 - LP - 6000**

"Ohka, attack him directly!" Rena shouted over the winds, throwing her left arm forward.

The invisibly connected fragments of body and armour charged forward, Okita braced himself as it did. Its jaws parted and unleashed a wide beam of pink, striking the brunette's shielding Duel Disk and hitting his lifepoints. The counter in the centre of Okita's Duel Disk plummeted to his dismay, pulling his lips previously curved into a smile downwards.

**RENA - OKITA  
****3200 - LP - 3600**

"I'll leave it there for now" Rena exhaled, letting her arms hang loosely by her sides. "Turn end".

**TENTH TURN – OKITA**

"Draw" the brunette called, removing the top card from his deck. Even after such a devastating turn, he could still smile so lightly, and unlike many others, there was no sign of hard feelings. "I reveal Golden Ladybug again".

**RENA - OKITA  
****3200 - LP - 4100**

"Now I summon Healing Wave Refresher **[DEF 1500]**" he announced, throwing the Monster card onto the centre slot of his Duel Disk.

A large mirror appeared, held in a dull silver oval frame. At the top, a small black circle seemed to be analysing something, with the measuring line curving upwards and downwards, at the base of the frame, was a glowing red button. From the flat border, a number of golden rods protruded, also glowing dimly. Immediately, the same blue shade drenched its colours entirely, dyeing them the same way as it had Genex Turbine.

"I activate Healing Wave Refresher's ability" Okita called. "It gives me 100 lifepoints for each level of one of your monsters. So I'll choose Ohka and gain 600 lifepoints!"

The reflective glass shone in Ohka's direction, reflecting it like any ordinary mirror. A shower of golden sparkles descended from its bottom rod, falling over Ohka like bright snow. He smiled as he craned his neck back and watches the scene. Only once it finished did he look back down at the battlefield in front of him.

**RENA - OKITA  
****3200 - LP - 4700**

"I'll set a card face-down and end my turn".

**ELEVENTH TURN – RENA**

"It's my turn. Draw" Rena bellowed, tearing the top card from the deck slot. Her eyes fell onto it and then to Okita. Already, he had recovered a large portion of the damage she had dealt him; if she couldn't get rid of Golden Ladybug and Healing Wave Generator, it wouldn't be long before he regained them all, and more.

"Turbine, attack Healing Wave Generator!" she cried out, pointing at the flat creature.

The green machine began to charge again, even without the boost from Rush Recklessly, it was strong enough to take out the opposing shield. Without the extra power, it wouldn't take as long to prepare itself.

"I activate my Trap – Threatening Roar!" Okita protested, stretching his arm over the Trap card that rose. "It prevents your monsters from attacking".

Rena scowled, tightening her eyes again and falling down to her hand. There wasn't anything she could do to prevent the Trap from taking effect and freezing her monsters for the round.

"Turn end" she sighed.

**TWELVETH TURN – OKITA**

"Draw. And reveal Golden Ladybug" the brunette declared, performing each action as he spoke. "And I'll use Healing Wave Refresher to increase my lifepoints for each of Ohka's levels again".

**RENA - OKITA  
****3200 - LP - 5800**

"Now, I activate this!" he yelled, throwing the card into one of the lower slots. A Magic card appeared in front of him showing two ghostly hands surrounding a brain, Rena's stomach flipped over. Just the mere sight of the card made her cringe, though she couldn't be sure why. "Brain Control: I pay 800 lifepoints to take control of one of your monsters".

From the card, two hands emerged, floating through the air and grabbing Ohka. Rena gasped as the creature flailed in their grip, dragged reluctantly to the opposite field. But halfway across, it began to settle and accepted the theft, something that unsettled Rena; she already cared about the monster. Okita smiled once the hands released Ohka, who remained calm and turned to face Rena's remaining field.

**RENA - OKITA  
****3200 - LP - 5000**

"Now I summon Mind Master **[ATK 100]**".

A small grey-green machine appeared beside Ohka, three wires hanging from the base of its rounded body, two ending with steel glove-like hands, gold rings over the joints of each finger. At the top of its machine body, a blue brain swelled, contained only by a glass bowl with four bulges on the top, light shone through the diagonal bumps.

"Another Psychic Tuner?" Rena gasped, her eyes widening with dread.

"Exactly. Now you can see why" Okita chuckled lightly. "I tune my Level 1 Mind Master with Level 6 Ohka!"

The brain within the glass contained pulsed wildly and the entirely presence disappeared entirely, transforming into a single ring that encircled Ohka, tearing six stars from it.

"Ohka!" Rena cried out, reaching out for the creature.

The six stars aligned themselves, struck through by a single beam of light that widened, swallowing the ingredients for the Synchro Summoning. From it, a pea green-skinned being appeared, a woman dressed in an azure suit that clung to her skin. Her grey left arm and legs glinted, revealing themselves to be robotic limbs, climbing up the let side of her head. The piece pressed down the leaf green hair that fell level with her knees against her skull. Above each hand, an orb floated: one of darkness surrounded by a white glow hovering over her metallic hand and one of light above her natural green opposite.

"I Synchro Summon Psychic Lifetrancer **[ATK 2400]**".

Rena sucked in air through her teeth, staring with wide eyes of horror at the new Psychic Synchro monster – facing a second had been the furthest thought from her mind, but Okita had insisted, and used Ohka as a sacrifice. The brunette held a Magic card in his hand, revealing its identity to her, drawing her eyes back from the superior creature opposite.

"I activate Smashing Ground to eliminate Genex Turbine" he began. Rena gasped as Turbine exploded in front of her, leaving her field empty. A card slipped out of Okita's Graveyard and into his hand – his Mind Master. "Now I activate Psychic Lifetrancer's ability – by removing a Psychic monster from my Graveyard, I can increase my lifepoints by 1200".

"That much?" Rena inhaled, another droplet of sweat trickled down her rippled forehead.

**RENA - OKITA  
****3200 - LP - 6200**

"Sorry about this, Rena" Okita uttered meekly, rubbing the back of his head. "Psychic Lifetrancer, direct attack!"

Rena gasped; her eyes wide as the half-cyborg craned its iron arm back, moving the black orb slightly. Without warning, it launched the sphere forward, which crackled as it tore through the air and slammed into Rena's chest. The girl cried in as the feeling surged through her body, enough power to launch her back – off her feet and onto her back just short of the wall. She didn't get up, but twitched reflexively, face screwed up in anguish. Liquid looked to Okita, drawing his friend's attention once his voice broke through the silence.

"I think that's enough, your power took her by surprise" he suggested

"Perhaps your right, I didn't mean to hurt her after all" Okita murmured guiltily.

"No…" a heavy breath came.

Both Liquid and Okita turned to see Rena on her knees, in the process of pushing herself from the ground, fringe hanging over her face as she leaned forward. Shakily, she rose to her feet and steadied herself, taking a moment to catch the breath that had been knocked out of her.

"I want to carry on…" she exhaled.

"A- are you sure? That was a big hit, right now; you're not looking so good" Liquid stammered, his shoulders relaxed as his neck stretched.

Rena shook her head, enough for the strands of hair hanging over her shoulders to wave. "I have to finish. Even if I don't win, I want to carry on".

Okita smiled. "That's the spirit. Liquid's probably just worried because it's the first time you've experienced Psychic powers being used again you, rather than using them yourself".

Rena lifted her head, unveiling her face. Liquid's eyes widened slightly when he could easily find the flames burning in her eyes. A small scratch had been created on the left side of her jaw, most likely from where the Duel Disk may have hit, but she was ready to fight back regardless. Liquid retreated a couple of steps, back to the side lines to resume his place.

**RENA - OKITA  
****800 - LP - 6200**

"I'm glad that you decided to carry on" Okita beamed. "I'll end my turn here".

**THIRTEENTH TURN – RENA**

"Draw". The Magic card in the pale hand brought a smile to Rena's face, a useful card at the best of times. She pressed it into the Duel Disk. "I activate Card of Sanctity, which lets us draw until we both have six cards in our hands".

Okita smiled, refreshing their hands so late in the game could open up any number of possibilities, and they would find out just which had been the one unlocked. Both players removed the necessary number of cards from their decks and filled their hands. Rena then immediately removed one.

"I activate my own Blue Medicine, giving me 400 lifepoints" she called, holding up the card that Okita had played earlier for him to see. "So now _I'll_ be the one to gain lifepoints".

**RENA - OKITA  
****1200 - LP - 6200**

"Next, I activate Fissure, removing your Healing Wave Refresher like how you did Genex Turbine". The ground beneath the glowing mirror began to collapse, taking her with it. As she sank, its body exploded, scattering shards of light on the ground for a few seconds. "Now I activate Premature Burial to _revive_ Genex Turbine".

A circle of blue light shone from the ground, allowing the machine to pass through; its front gleamed the same way as it had when it had been on the field last.

"Of course, Premature Burial comes with a price – I have to surrender 800 lifepoints".

**RENA - OKITA  
****400 - LP - 6200**

"And if that Blue Medicine hadn't come up, she would have lost the duel at that point" Liquid commented, pressing his forefinger against his chin. "But still, Okita's almost 6000 lifepoints ahead now".

"I summon Genex Neutron **[ATK 1800]**" Rena called.

Beside Turbine, a being appeared consisting of complex components wielded together to form a human-shaped body. Oranges, blacks and greys were brought together to create the form, including large pieces that connected to the arms almost like the equivalent of wings. Okita smiled still at the creature, impressed that she had managed to summon two monsters in one turn.

"I'm still not done yet, I equip Psychic Sword to Genex Neutron" Rena added, throwing the card into the slot under Neutron.

A wide sword with a spiked blade glowing a pale green shade connected to a purple handle, with several complex designs attached to the central piece, each with a small blue orb looking much like eyes, two crimson lines ran along the central piece that appeared in Neutron's narrow steel fingers clenching around it automatically.

"Psychic Sword increases Neutron's attack power by the difference between our lifepoints, but only to a maximum of 2000, so that's all it'll get" Rena explained. "Combined with Turbine's ability, it proves much more than a match for your Psychic Lifetrancer **[ATK 4200]**". A white aura surrounded Neutron and its new weapon, pumping the granted power into its metal body. "Neutron, attack Psychic Lifetrancer!"

The Genex monster dove forward, clutching the Psychic Sword with both hands. Okita frowned as the weapon plunged into the gut of his Psychic Lifetrancer whose face became twisted into one of horror before she exploded, scattering her remains across the battlefield, pixels that faded after a small number of seconds. He raised his right arm to shield himself from the fragments slicing through the air.

"Turbine, direct attack!" Rena hollered before Okita could completely recover.

A wide beam of green melting into yellow burned across the field, striking Okita in the chest when he failed to defend himself with his Duel Disk in time. He groaned as the force slammed into him, but didn't move. When the beam died, he hunched, pressing his hand against his chest.

**RENA - OKITA  
****400 - LP - 2600**

'_That's strange, my powers were able to knock her back completely. But she doesn't seem to have much of her power unlocked, maybe it's like Izayoi-san, and it grows stronger when she gets emotional'_ he thought, peering over the tops of his spectacles. _'It seems Divine must really trust that she has the power for her to get into Arcadia. Well, I'll do what I can to help you'._

"Through Neutron's effect, I draw Genex Controller" Rena spoke, holding the card beside her chin. "But for now, I'll end my turn".

**FOURTEENTH TURN – OKITA**

"It's my turn. Draw!" Okita called. He turned the familiar card in his hand around, unveiling it once more. "I reveal Golden Ladybug".

**RENA - OKITA  
****400 - LP - 3100**

Okita scanned the cards in his hand, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth – he didn't have many options with the cards he had drawn, despite the full hand he held. He pulled one card up and laid it on top of his central monster zone.

"I set a monster… that's my turn done".

**FIFTHTEENTH TURN – RENA**

Rena cocked an eyebrow at the lack of plays Okita had made; did he really get that bad a draw? Or maybe he was trying to lure her into a trap. It wouldn't take much to deplete the rest of her lifepoints; one strong defence against either of her monsters would wipe her out completely.

"Draw" she called, tearing the top card of her deck from the rest. She brought it back to see what it was she had to work with, and her heart leapt. She smirked mischievously at Okita and threw the card into the Duel Disk. "Magic card – Shield Crush. This destroys a monster in defence mode".

The defensive monster in front of Okita shattered, shocking him as he took a step and stared where the card had been. His focus then rose to Rena standing opposite, between her two Genex monsters, smiling at him confidently for the first time since meeting him,

"Sorry, Okita. I don't mean to hurt you" she spoke. "Turbine, Neutron, direct attack!"

Turbine fired another wide beam of yellow and green, aimed at Okita, while Neutron lunged alongside it, still clutching the Psychic Sword. The beam reached Okita first, slamming into his chest just as it had just moments before. He groaned and clutched his chest, sweat sliding down his face as defeat charged towards him, closing the gap with each step. His face rose to meet the sight of Genex Neutron upon him, raising the sword above its head, the sight threw his arms over his head in a cross of defence. The sword came down, nevertheless, and collided with his Duel Disk.

**RENA - OKITA  
****400 - LP - 0**

**DUEL END**

Okita's arms fell as his lifepoints hit nothing, his eyebrows curved in disappointment that he had lost. Liquid, on the other hand, continued to watch without emotion, but more documenting the strategies of both duellists. He would need it if he was to duel them now. His neck twisted, moving around to the girl standing and smiling victoriously.

"Impressive, taking out Synchro Monsters without one of your own" he commented. "You should have some of your own with that deck of yours".

Rena nodded, her smile slipping in vitality as the victory became a thing of the past. Okita closed the distance between himself and the pair, his Duel Disk shrinking back into its Standby form.

"That was a good duel, I'm glad we could have it" he chuckled. "And it did let me see just what kind of duellist you are".

"You think I'll be alright here, as a duellist?" Rena asked.

Okita nodded. "Yes. Perhaps in time, as you build up your skills, you could be even a challenge for Izayoi Aki-san".

"Izayoi… Aki?" Rena echoed, turning her body from Liquid to the brunette.

"She's a legend in Arcadia" Okita explained. "According to Divine, she must be one of the most powerful Psychics in this whole Movement. She usually heads out and scouts for more Psychics and get some payback on people outside under the name 'Black Rose Witch'".

"'Black Rose Witch', huh?" Rena mused aloud.

"Just don't get on the wrong side of her" Liquid warned, stepping forward. "Like Okita said, she's powerful. And her temper is a dangerous thing. If you manage to piss her off, consider yourself dead".

Rena gulped, fear slowly crept through every fibre of her body as she realised that not everyone in Arcadia could be as friendly as the two with her. How many more of these dangerous people did the Movement hold? Or were people like Izayoi Aki made the way they were _because_ of the Movement?

"Don't scare her, Liquid" Okita sighed. His hand fell onto her shoulder and their eyes met. "It's alright, I've met Izayoi-san; she's not what Liquid makes her out to be. She's a nice person".

"Are you sure?" Rena asked nervously.

Okita's head bounced like that of a toy, smiling wholly once again, it seemed impossible to wipe the smile from his face for very long, but that was something Rena had already come to like about him. Liquid remained quite mysterious, seeming to be a pessimistic individual. But that was nothing to hold against him, there was still much to be learned about them both.

The door slid open and a faded-blue haired man stepped in, his fringe hanging over his eyes, but his face drew all three sets of eyes.

"It's time for training to begin" he announced. "We'll be meeting at the practice arenas. Don't be any longer than ten minutes".

With the simple message delivered, he withdrew to the other side of the door and moved on. The males behind Rena looked to each other; they had been to the duelling arena once or twice themselves – that had been where Okita had met with Izayoi Aki.

"Well, I suppose your turn will have to wait" he chuckled at Liquid.

The dirty-blonde haired member rolled his eyes, denied his chance of duelling because of conversation about the living legend of Arcadia. Rather than lament over his lost opportunity, he instead turned to Rena, who looked back at the pair.

"Come on, we'll show you the way. If we don't make a move, we'll get ourselves in trouble" he said.

The two led the girl out of the room and into the narrow corridor, observing others departing from their rooms and following the path of the senior member that had visited. Okita smiled at Rena and stepped after Liquid, leading her together towards the stairs that would lead them to the duelling arenas.

* * *

Divine smirked as he watched the scene of recent members joining together as they worked their way towards the large chamber; his eyes traced Rena as she moved between Liquid and Okita, seemingly having bonded with the pair. Behind him, a young woman stood with short magenta-hair, two bangs hanging down to her chest and the fringe wrapped around a metallic object. Her auburn eyes blazed vividly as she watched Divine's focus on the monitor, standing behind him like a solider waiting for their superior to relieve them of their salute. Her outfit was a complex one; very different from the uniform of Arcadia.

She said nothing as she waited. And as the trio moved onto the staircase, Divine finally turned to her. His smirk contrasted her neutral expression.

"Aki, tomorrow is a big day, perhaps you should rest" he suggested comfortingly. There was a special tone of voice he used for her.

"Tomorrow and the day after will only be important if we get something out of them" she replied colourlessly. "If I fail, then it will have been a big waste of your time, and I don't want to disappoint you".

Divine stepped closer, his footfalls sharp and quick against the tiled floor, his hand moved to the metallic device in Aki's hair, his fingers sliding around the tipped cone fixed onto the end of it.

"Aki, you won't disappoint me. You're my Black Rose Witch, you can only do what you can" he continued in the same warm tone that he shared with no-one else. "Tomorrow, you will just show off your abilities to the world and prove the worth of Arcadia. Don't fret about your abilities in comparison to Jack Atlus or those that will come before him, you're more than capable of winning".

"It's just… something doesn't feel right" Aki sighed. "This 'Fortune Cup' came out of the blue last night when that weird man gave me the invitation".

The friendly smile on Divine's face dipped – she had a point. The Fortune Cup would have been organised by Rex Godwin, Director of Neo-Domino, and his organisation running the City. He and Divine secretly locked horns with every minute of every day; Divine knew his dirty secret, but Godwin wasn't one for standing by and doing nothing. He was a manipulative bastard, but under Divine's thumb, he could do nothing against Arcadia. So why had Aki been invited to this tournament? Was this some kind of plan by Godwin to snatch her away?

"The good news is that only the quarter-final matches happen tomorrow" he hushed. "You needn't worry about Security; we'll go in one of our trucks to keep you safe. I'll organise some of the student Psychics to accompany us on the second day when things could get difficult".

"What do you believe is happening, Divine?" Aki asked.

"I don't know, Aki" Divine sighed, dropping his hand to her shoulder. "But I'll protect you at that place, no matter what".

* * *

Arcadia **~ PREVIEW ~ **Arcadia

_Divine: Now that the newest recruits have undergone training, it's time to use the Fortune Cup tournament to our advantage._

_Aki: I won't let you down, Divine._

_Divine: We should prepare to follow our strongest into this place, there's no guarantee that this is safe for her alone._

_Rena: 'Fortune Cup'? Next, Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – Reverse of Arcadia, "Invasion of the Fortune Cup! A Threat Uncovered". Izayoi-san, we're backing you._


	2. Invasion of the Fortune Cup! A Threat

**Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – Reverse of Arcadia**

by Yusei

_**Summary -**__ "__As a member of Arcadia, Rena begins to learn of the organization's secrets as a war begins to unfold. The present and the past begin to clash, unleashing a future of doubt as the Signers rise up to battle the darkness_".

_**Disclaimer - **__I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of the characters._

_**A / N – **Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone who has already read this, I didn't expect so many favourites and reviews on the first day, let alone for the chapter at all. Updates for this and Sutādasuto Accelerator may be quicker over the holiday period, there are a number of fics and oneshots that will hopefully be updated as they're worked on over the next few weeks. For the sake of Divine leaving Arcadia for the first day of the Fortune Cup, the timeline differs from the game, the featured duel is also different for two reasons; it takes the focus off Rena for a bit and I promises a friend that Okita and Liquid would have a bigger role. Hope you enjoy this. Please read and review._

* * *

**「****Neo-Domino****」****- Arcadia Movement**

Training had lasted for a few hours; students duelling dummies and then each other, revealing any alterations they had made to their decks. The decks handed to them by Arcadia, manipulated slightly by the outside world and the preferences of the individuals. Rena had no cards of her own to mingle with those given to her, none from the outside world; apparently, she had tossed them into a campfire one night whilst on the run from the family who shut her out, vowing never to even think about them again.

But she did think. What kind of cards were they? What theme had she played with? Okita claimed that through duelling, they could learn what kind of person a duellist was, so what did that lost deck say about her? She felt lost, among people she was getting to know and enjoy, but still lost. Seria was like an older sister, showing her the ropes, Okita and Liquid were good friends, inviting her to more, the others around were peers, people she would grow closer to and trust as friends. Arcadia truly was a family.

But for now, they were seated in rows like some kind of assembly at a school, Liquid and Okita sat to her left, another male and his female companion the other side. All fixed their eyes ahead to the platform where Seria climbed up; truly she was of a higher rank to stand up before those still learning or just beginning, the students of Arcadia; another generation of outcasts. The young woman cleared her throat before lifting her head, eyes blazing with strength as she gathered herself.

"Students of Arcadia" she began, her voice possessing a new power behind it. "As you are aware, the Public Security Maintenance Bureau has set up a tournament for the top duellists in the City to battle with each other for the opportunity to face the Duel King, Jack Atlus".

"Yeah, greedy bastards are trying to make themselves look better by playing with 'normal' people. They don't give two shits about us" the boy beside Rena scowled to his friend.

"I know what you are thinking; 'they don't care about us, why bother informing us? We already know, but it's got nothing to do with us'" Seria continued, a few murmurs chipped into the silence as her voice sailed through the air. "However, that is not the case. It _does_ have something to do with us".

A chorus of confused noises and single word questions followed, Rena cast her eyes to Liquid and Okita, neither had any more of an idea than the rest. Seria's low cough, clearing her throat, drew eyes and soothed the chatter.

"Divine will explain the details" she announced. "But he has given me the privilege to disclose just _why_ the Fortune Cup involves Arcadia. Izayoi Aki has been invited to participate against seven other hopefuls to face Jack Atlus".

"Izayoi-san?" a voice cried out from the gathering. "_Our_ Izayoi-san?"

"That tournament's already been decided!" another cheered.

"Now those bastards will see what Psychics are made of!"

Seria smiled lightly at the reception of the news and took a step back. Rena looked to Okita and the Liquid, they both smiled back at the news, aware of why she had moved to them. They would finally get to see Izayoi Aki in action, unleashing her full potential, duelling like no-one else in Neo-Domino could. All eyes moved back to the front and silent fell when Divine stepped up to the platform, his hands locked behind his back, the same smirk defining his face.

"Arcadia, this is, indeed, a proud day" he proclaimed. "However, as you all know, we and those at Security are more like enemies than even the City and Satellite. It is both thrilling and suspicious that they would acknowledge our Izayoi Aki for their tournament. While we celebrate the light shining upon her, we must question; why has she been chosen by our enemies? Is this some kind of trap? Will they try to steal her from her home? Be wary, we have no idea what it is they plan to do. This tournament could be some kind of diversion to sneak into this tower and capture _others_ while luring Aki and myself away. Seria and others high up in the chain of command here will watch over you while Aki and I attend the Fortune Cup, using our trucks in order to get there safely".

Another wave of low voices and suspicions swept across those gathered before the leader. Rena remained silent, keeping her eyes locked onto the man as she waited eagerly to learn more.

"The Fortune Cup will run across two days; the first – tomorrow – will consist of quarter-final matches" Divine continued. "We don't know who Aki will be fighting or anything about the others, not even their names. The second day will be where you come in. That day will have fewer matches and less people standing in Aki's way of facing the Duel King and proving the worth of Psychic Duellists. During that day, you will infiltrate the building and support Aki. Like tomorrow, a large majority of Arcadia will remain here. There can't be more than three dozen of you here; _you_ will be invading Security's territory before they invade ours. Consider this field training, like when some of you move on to searching for other disowned Psychic Duellists. But for now, training will continue through tomorrow and then you will prepare yourselves. On the second day of the Fortune Cup, the Psychics of Arcadia will rise".

Claps and cheers from those around the trio roared, a couple of the students standing up and pushing the tips against their lips, whistling in celebration; even if it was a trap, this was the chance for Izayoi Aki to prove Arcadia and the scorned world of Psychics to those who considered them freaks and deserving of imprisonment, just because of accidents. Rena's eyes softened as she watched Divine walk away.

* * *

-遊戯王5D's-

Arcadia **~ Chapter 2 – Invasion of the Fortune Cup! A Threat Uncovered ~ **Arcadia

**Rena -****「****Neo-Domino****」****- Arcadia Movement**

The following day proved useful to those eager to move time ahead and to the second day of the Fortune Cup. It had also proved vital for Rena, who was easily able to get to know several of the other students who had been in Arcadia for weeks and into months. Nobody hated anyone else, they were united under one banner, everyone got on; everyone was equal here.

By the time evening came, the sun was inching closer towards the horizon and darkness was slowly spreading over the City. Rena stood in front of the door to the room she shared with Okita and Liquid, ruffling her damp hair with a towel. The two turned to her, playing with their cards on Liquid's bed when she walked in blindly. There were no Duel Disks, no holograms and no Psychic powers. It was just a friendly game like how children would play before getting a Duel Disk for their birthdays or before an upcoming tournament. Rena lifted the towel, showing the tips of her soaked hair hanging over her brow as she peered through at the duo.

"You two are still going at it?" she asked, smirking softly.

"We weren't duelling when you left" Liquid commented.

"I mean that we've been training all day and you two are still focused on duelling" Rena answered, shaking her head slowly. "I thought you guys might want a break, maybe talk about tomorrow".

"Izayoi-san hasn't returned yet" Okita stated. "She should be back soon though. She'll be swamped when she comes back; everyone will want to know how she did and who else is there".

"You reckon many big names will be there?" Rena asked. "I don't really know anyone in the professional duellist world".

"Apart from Jack Atlus" Liquid corrected.

"Apart from Jack Atlus" Rena echoed, smirking at the dirty-blonde.

"I know someone, but I doubt he'll be there" Okita chipped in. "He dropped off the radar a few months ago. Unless some sap found him and thought he deserved another shot at beating Jack, it's unlikely he'll be there".

"'Another shot'?" Rena repeated, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Jack came out of nowhere, so he thought he could take him on" Okita told. "It hadn't been long after Jack became the Duel King, so he reckoned it had been a string of flukes and went up against him. Jack crushed him mercilessly, he was devastated. I don't know what he did after that, but I haven't heard of him since".

"Oh, you mean Jin Himuro" Liquid called, pointing at his companion.

Okita beamed at his friend. Rena pressed down on the towel hanging over her head and began to rub it against her hair again. While cards flicked from place to place, she crossed the room and turned on a hairdryer that had been laid on her bed before departing for the bathroom. The device shrieked to life and began to blow her hair about as she shook it.

Excited uproar filled the room with distant voices after a few minutes. Rena had paused the device to pull a brush through her hair, holding it when she and the duelling pair froze. Okita smiled as he looked over his shoulder to the door that slid open, a girl leaping in to avoid the stampede.

"What's going on, Haruki?" he asked the brunette.

"It's Izayoi-san" she cried out ecstatically, pointing out the open doorway. "She's back from the Fortune Cup!"

"Looks like your suspicions were right" Liquid commented, dropping his eyes to Okita, who grinned proudly.

"Izayoi-san has always been popular here. Now that she's in the Fortune Cup, she's one step away from being a celebrity outside the Movement as well as inside" Okita chuckled.

"Everyone wants to know how she did" Haruki added, struggling to keep herself from leaping up and down on the spot. She turned to Rena, who clutched her hair while brushing her hair. "Come on, Rena. You haven't seen Izayoi-san in the flesh".

"Huh? You want me to go with you?" Rena mumbled, bewildered.

She had been among the others for two days, and already she was being invited by someone outside her room to a major event on the floor. Her eyes shot to Okita and Liquid, both smirked at her.

"Go on" Liquid said. "We've seen her before, we'll find out what happened there later. There's no point in _us_ getting crushed".

"Thanks" Haruki sarcastically replied, smirking and cocking her left eyebrow at him. She turned back to Rena, who sat cross-legged on her bed. "Come on, Rena. You don't want to miss this".

Rena smiled, even if her hair wasn't completely dry or brushed, Haruki had a point. She leapt off the bed and crossed the room, following Haruki out. The two met the backs of excited students, Haruki giggled lightly and turned to the girl beside her, tilting her head slightly; there wasn't much between them in height.

"Seria-san says that living here is like living at a university; we share corridors and learn more about ourselves. And that family is who we live around rather than those who turned their backs on us" she chuckled.

Rena smiled and turned her eyes ahead, to the backs of excited fellows who jumped and waved and called out to the local celebrity. Her eyes softened, even if her past was gone, even if it was painful, she needn't worry about it anymore. She was happy here.

A magenta-haired woman appeared through the masses, her clothes much unlike the uniforms of those around her. Haruki gasped and slammed her left hand onto Rena's shoulder, shaking the girl as they met.

"That's her. That's Izayoi Aki!" Haruki shrieked.

Rena sucked in her breath, like she was meeting someone she had admired for weeks and months, Aki moved towards them and past, glancing at the pair in the corner of her eye. There was no change in her expression and there were no words in response to the questions of those around her. Haruki and Rena remained where they stood as the mass moved on, leaving them in the drowning quiet as they moved on too far for their voices to reach back.

Once they were alone, Haruki jumped from the ground, twisting in the air and clamping her hands on Rena's shoulders, landing perfectly in front of her.

"She looked at us, did you see it?" she squealed.

"Yeah, but… she didn't look so happy" Rena murmured. "For someone taking part in the Fortune Cup, she didn't look too thrilled, even though she's getting all of this attention".

"She's got a big responsibility, she's fighting for us all" Haruki replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Maybe that's taking away from having fun during all this. Maybe she'll get to have some after it's all done and the other people realise we have some worth in society".

Rena's eyes narrowed, moving towards the ground as she picked up on Haruki's words. "So they really see us as nothing, huh" she mumbled.

Haruki laid her hand onto Rena's back, drawing the girl's eyes up to her face, smiling brightly at her new friend.

"Don't worry, Izayoi-san will show them all tomorrow. And we'll be right there behind her".

* * *

**「****Neo-Domino****」****- Arcadia Movement**

Morning had come to Neo-Domino and the class of students had gathered like they had two evenings before. Rena sat to the right of Okita and Liquid as she had on the previous occasion, with Haruki on the other side of her. The four listened intently as Divine spoke about the plan; while he and Aki would enter using the same vehicles as the day before, a handful of students would accompany them as stowaways – Haruki was amongst them. She would be closer to Aki when she duelled her next opponent. Rena, Liquid, Okita and the rest would head into the Stadium through other entrances, evading Security as they did so.

"I trust each and every one of you to carry out the mission successfully" he announced, eyes swimming through the crowd before him. "While Aki fights for us, we'll do whatever we can to show our support for her. Together, you will spread the message of Arcadia and show our superiority over Security".

Fists shot up and cheers roared; everyone was ready. Rena smiled as those in front and behind cheered and yelled whatever came to mind first; support for Aki, slanders against Security, praises of Divine. Haruki turned to Rena, Okita and Liquid, wearing an anxious smile.

"Looks like we won't be hanging out together at the Fortune Cup" she called through the noise. "I hope you'll be okay".

"Yeah, you too. Take care of yourself" Rena responded. "We should meet up at our room later".

"It makes sense. Let's go with that" Okita added.

"Okay then" Haruki agreed, nodding her head.

The three looked ahead, smiling as the chamber's life grew with the hopes and cheers of those around them. Arcadia was ready for the Fortune Cup; it was time to see if Neo-Domino was ready for them.

* * *

**Okita / Liquid / Rena -****「****Neo-Domino****」****- Duel Stadium**

Okita jogged in retreat to Liquid and Rena who waited a short distance from the main entrance to the Duel Stadium. He sighed when he reached the, stopping a couple of yards from the waiting pair.

"No good. There're Security officers there" he reported.

"Told you" Liquid mumbled, folding his arms over his chest.

"I wonder if any of the other groups have gotten in" Rena interjected, grabbing her chin thoughtfully.

Those not assigned to accompany the Arcadia convoy were divided into small groups. Immediately; Okita, Liquid and Rena agreed to be a trio. Other groups ranged from pairs to fives – they outnumbered those who had the easy way of getting in. Liquid surveyed the surrounding area, lush green public gardens and concrete routes stretching across the area and beyond.

"Hey, I've got an idea" he stated, alerting the other two. "There's got to be more ways into the place than just the main entrances. Let's go see where else lets us in. Like where the competitors went or the place where they store D-Wheels".

"There's an idea" Okita replied, clutching his chin as she smirked. "Alright. Let's go".

Liquid led the way as the three dashed around the massive Stadium, running past fewer officers patrolling the outside of the arena the further back they went. As he predicted, Liquid was able to locate a place that matched the description of the tunnel Divine described as the way the others would have travelled, he smirked, proud of himself, and darted ahead. Okita and Rena remained on his heels. He led them down the carelessly unguarded tunnel and towards the incessant cheering. Leading them into the Fortune Cup.

The three found themselves in the corridors of the massive structure, slate blue walls opposite a series of windows. Above them, lights shone fixed into a navy blue ceiling. Liquid paused when he came to a crossroads, turning back to Okita and Rena as they slowed to a halt behind him.

"Do you guys have any idea where we're going?" he asked.

"What? _You're_ leading us, aren't you?" Rena cried out, pressed the tips of her fingers against her forehead in slight irritation.

"All I was doing was getting us in, that's the first step in _doing_ anything" Liquid scowled, narrowing his eyes into a sharp glare.

Okita stepped between the two. Holding up his hands and smiling anxiously, hoping to restore peace. "Listen, it's no-one's fault. This is a big place, maybe that's why Divine wanted so many of us to come – in case some of us got lost".

"Well we certainly succeeded in that" Liquid scowled. "If we don't find somewhere soon, Security will probably find us and kick us out".

"I'm sure we'll find somewhere" Okita chuckled.

While the duo discussed which way could travel in search of a decent place to meet with the others, Rena focused on the path to the right of her and Okita, her head with its back to the males. It took a moment for them to notice her lack of concentration, her absent eyes focused elsewhere.

"Rena?" Okita murmured curiously.

"This way. We should try this way, it sounds like where people are cheering from" Rena responded without looking back at the pair.

"Rena, we're in a Stadium filled to capacity with people" Liquid stated. "People are cheering from every direction".

"No" Rena mumbled. "It sounds like they're closer this way".

Without another word, she darted down the hallway, leaving the two males with little choice but to follow. Rena stood outside a door on the right of the hallway partway down, the door slid open, revealing an empty longue. On the wall behind two opposing sofas, a large flat-screen television had been fixed, showing the duel that was happening at the time. The trio were drawn deeper into the room when Izayoi Aki appeared, wearing a mask. Rena stood in between the two, lined with the centre of screen as she watched the scene unfolding before her.

"That's the mask of the Black Rose Witch" Okita commented.

"That must mean she's using her powers" Liquid added.

"I feel sorry for the poor sap facing her" Okita chuckled lightly. The display flashed to show Aki's opponent – a young man no older than her, black hair divided into bent spikes, blonde highlights running up the largest standing up. "Her powers are deadly when she gets angry, she must be really pissed at him".

"Izayoi-san…" Rena whispered, watching the two advanced duellists.

The chatter came to an end when Aki began to shout at her opponent, a faint purple aura glowing around her. The emotions driving her power were growing stronger.

"_Black Rose Dragon's effect activates!" _Aki called, throwing her arm above her wild locks. _"Black Rose Gale!"_

The dragon of black scales and rose petals unleashed a fierce roar, its eyes glowing pink as its power began. The thorny whips waved once a sudden gust kicked up. The effects could be seen across the Stadium, Okita was right – Aki's powers were brutally active. The circuit for Riding Duels began to crack, previously damaged sections shattered completely, throwing shards of glass and poles bent to support the track into the howling air, mingling with the dark petals already thrown into the air from the creature.

"_It will destroy all cards on the field"._

"_I'll catch anything you dish out!"_ the dark-haired teenager shouted back. _"Vent out all of your sorrow! Victim Sanctuary!"_

The glorious white and blue dragon above him spread its shimmering wings despite the harsh gales. The limbs became arms as it soared across the field, slamming into Black Rose and closing its wings around the floral body.

"Izayoi-san!" Rena cried out, stepping towards the monitor.

The darker creature shrieked as the two collided, unable to escape the power of the opponent. The thorny whips lashed out, striking the dragon repeatedly, across its entire body, but the light creature clung on regardless. After a number of seconds that passed like minutes, Black Rose began to glow, dissolving into the furious air, followed by the light dragon.

Aki stood limply, her long fringe hanging over her half-masked face. Her right arm moved, showing a strange glow in the shape of a narrow claw.

"_The pain is fading away…"_ she whispered.

The Magic card activate on the guy's field faded, he set his azure eyes on Aki, the tornado in between them began to calm. Within seconds, it blended into the calmed air.

"_Now Phoenixician Cluster Amaryllis is freed from Prevent Star's spell, your field is wide open"_ he stated. _"If I land a direct attack, I'll win"._

"_I wish everything would just go away"_ Aki hissed. _"Don't try to make me think. You're indeed a wretched foe!"_

"_If I am, why are you crying?"_ the boy asked.

Aki gasped, lifting her head. Down the exposed left cheek, tears could be seen trickling down. Rena's eyes widened at the sight of it, Izayoi Aki hadn't been the kind of woman to cry judged on her exterior. Did that mean she and Haruki had been right last night? Rena furrowed her brow; the boy on the screen stretched his right arm, showing that it, too, was glowing with a strange shape.

"_Trap card – Cosmic Blast!"_ he declared strongly. _"When a Dragon-type Synchro Monster is removed from the field, it'll inflict damage equal to the monster's attack power"._

A transparent replica of the pale dragon that had slammed into Black Rose only a moment beforehand appeared above him its arms and legs stretched and ready to be put to use in tackling the last barrier between him and victory that was Aki's remaining lifepoints. The ghost dragon shrieked and rose higher, capturing the whirlwind that still lived with petals caught in its force, the wings of the creature closed around the winds. Purple light exploded from the spirit, which shattered suddenly. A pink glowing petal, hardened by the dragon's will slammed into Aki's mast, between her eyes, she gasped as it collided, splitting the already damaged mask into two halves that fell from her face as she leaned over. Her final 1900 lifepoints plummeted to nothing, the duel was over. Izayoi Aki… has lost.

"No way. It's can't be" Liquid gasped.

"Izayoi-san, no!" Rena cried again, horrified that the strongest of Arcadia had been defeated by someone else.

The broadcast continued, showing the man's shocked face when Aki lifted her head slightly, but Rena had turned away already, unable to bear watching any more of Aki's suffering. There were jeers from the audience, each who despised and feared her power. Those who had branded her a freak and outcast based on the snarling voices that passed through the television. Her eyes moved to the faces of the pair standing either side of her.

"I can't believe that she lost to one of _those_ people" Liquid scowled. "_And_ he's from Satellite. That fucking scum. I'm sure he'll be laughing the instant he gets to wherever he crawled out of".

"No…" Rena uttered quickly. Both of the men turned to see her with her head down, fringe hanging over her eyes. "He wasn't trying to hurt her like everyone else. I think he could see that Izayoi-san had been hurt after everything she's been through". Her head lifted, showing the eyes filled with sympathy and dismay. "I think he was trying to _help_ her, to show her that not everyone without Psychic powers is bad. He wanted to show that they… can be good too".

"Rena!" Liquid snapped. He was about to grab her shoulders and shake her when his eyes hit Okita, who shook his head. His hands fell. "We should head off, if Izayoi-san lost, then Arcadia won't have any more use for this place" he sighed. "I'm sure Divine will spread the order soon".

"Let's at least find out. We could see if Izayoi-san is alright as well" Okita suggested.

The three sauntered dejectedly out of the room and down the hallway, resuming the path they had taken after leaving the crossroads. After a moment, they came to a corner which offered them two directions. Rena glanced over her shoulder at the two males behind her; no-one was sure which way to go.

The hum of electronic doors opening drew their eyes to the right path where Divine and Aki appeared, walking through. Divine's coat hung over Aki's shoulders; she clutched the glowing arm with the thick strands of her fringe hanging over her face. The doors groaned shut behind them; Divine had his focus set solely on the shaken girl stumbling forward by his side.

"You did great, Aki, regardless of the outcome of that one duel" he whispered. "He just got in your head and knew what buttons to push. We'll get him the next time he dares to fight you. Let's just go home and get you some rest".

"But… Divine, I-" Aki attempted weakly. She was still confused, lost, wanting someone to tell her what to do. Where to go. Something was different about her; she wasn't the same girl from the night before.

Rena's eyes softened as she heard the tone of Aki's voice; this wasn't the destructive powerhouse that she had been told about, this wasn't the stern celebrity she had seen the night before. This was an entirely new Izayoi Aki. And it made her feel sorry for the girl. Divine moved his eyes to the stationary trio.

"Well this makes beginning the withdrawal much easier" he commented with a slight smirk. "We're heading back to Arcadia".

A shrill laughter rang out, sending all eyes but Aki's flying. From the elevator the pair had taken, a small clown-like man stood with his hands behind his back. Curled hair somewhere between lilac and grey bounced as his head shuddered while the laughter continued, red marks running vertically through his eyes and lipstick of the same colour furthered his image. His outfit consisted of a white shirt and trousers, held in place by a black belt, and a large maroon jacket almost as tall as his whole body.

"Izayoi Aki-san" he spoke with a voice unlike anything the three student Psychics had heard before. He sounded as odd as he looked. "Director Godwin would like to speak with you for a moment".

Divine scowled, that only served to prove him right – Godwin was after Aki, for something. He didn't know what, and he wasn't about to give Godwin the opportunity to show him. The clown-man smirked, chuckling in the same twisted manner while showing off his white teeth; clearly he had worked out Divine's defiance with ease.

"Feisty, aren't you?" he laughed. "But Director Godwin _needs_ to see Izayoi Aki; you won't stop him for doing so".

Divine turned to the three students, laying his hand on Aki's left shoulder and keeping her by his side. "Take care of these guys, I need to get Aki to the others and then get everyone out safely".

"Yes sir" the three responded in unison.

Divine rushed Aki away, the troubled girl managed to keep up. The man clicked the fingers and thumb on his right hand, opening the doors behind him, a man in a Security uniform and another wearing a black suit appeared through the passage.

"Jeager-san" the man in the suit uttered, looking down at the superior.

"Tashiro-kun" he replied, then looked to the officer. "Aase-kun. You two have a mission – to retrieve Izayoi Aki. If these three try to stand in your way, knock them down. I'll be waiting with Director Godwin".

The man, identified as Jeager moved through the open doors of elevator, which began to slide close, he turned to face the scene once more before they closed on him completely. The two men turned to face the student trio, readying Duel Disks fixed onto their left arms. Okita and Liquid activated their own.

"Okita, Liquid, what are you-?" Rena began.

She was cut off when Liquid stepped in front of her, stretching the fingers on his left hand. "Your powers aren't as developed as ours, we don't know if you'd do so well against these guys. You should focus on getting out of here before something happens".

"I'm not leaving without you two" Rena protested desperately.

"You won't have to" Okita replied. "You can stay, but you're not duelling. Let us fight for you".

Rena bit her bottom lip, she had experienced Okita's style for herself, but Liquid's was something completely different. But there was something about the two that seemed to be perfect. Maybe they could work together, better than she could with either. She nodded and made her way against the corner, standing level with her friends against the Security duo.

"So it's a Tag Team" Tashiro called. "We sharing lifepoints?"

"May as well" Liquid answered with a smirk. He and Okita glanced at each other, already, a strategy was brewing.

"Alright then" Tashiro mumbled.

"_Duel!_"

**DUEL START**

**OKITA / LIQUID - TASHIRO / AASE  
8000 - LP - 8000**

**FIRST TURN - OKITA**

"I'll begin this duel" Okita stated, drawing an extra card over the other three. "I summon Krebons **[ATK 1200]**".

The jester of white skin in a suit of purple and gold appeared on the field, grinning with closed electronic eyes while juggling block pieces that looked like they belonged in an arcade game. Rena turned her eyes to the opposing pair, wondering if they knew of Psychic monsters and the ability of the present being.

"I'll add a card face-down and end my turn" the blonde added, slipping the card in.

**SECOND TURN – AASE**

"Draw" the officer called, taking the top card of his deck. He smirked at it and placed it amongst the others in his hand. One card rose, falling face-down on the top of the Duel Disk's central slot. "I'll set a monster. And then I'll lay two cards face-down".

The trio of face-down cards appear on the field, two laying vertical and the third, in front of them, horizontal. For a moment, Rena was puzzled over why the man hadn't placed the monster in an offensive position, ready to strike, only to then remember that in a Tag Duel, no-one could attack until everyone had had their chance. Tashiro would be the first with that privilege.

"Turn end".

**THIRD TURN – LIQUID**

"I summon Giant Rat! **[ATK 1400]**" the dirty-blonde called, throwing the card he had drawn onto the top of his Duel Disk.

In front of him, a large rodent stood on two legs, clutching a skull in its right hand, a scaly tail wagging behind it. The animal bore its pointed teeth, white against the blue-grey fur around them. Its eyes gleamed orange.

"I see what you're doing" Aase growled. "I won't let you – Mystical Space Typhoon activate!"

One of the officer's face-down cards flipped over, depicting a tornado tearing through the environment around it, taking whatever it desired. Okita's face-down card shattered, he lifted his arm in front of his spectacles as it happened, groaning briefly.

"That card destroys a Magic or Trap card. Now you won't be able to use that card in your gang-up on my monster" the officer stated, smirking proudly.

"I'll end my turn there" Liquid scowled.

**FOURTH TURN – TASHIRO**

"My turn!" the suit announced, whipping the top card from the rest. "I summon Baby Dragon **[ATK 1200]** in attack mode".

With a squeak the infant dragon appeared, orange scales covering its entire body with the exception of its chest, stomach and the front of its neck. Two dark grey horns protruded from its head, four claws from its hands and three from its feet. Blue eyes sparkled as it breathed out fire playfully, flapping the small and inexperienced wings, small spikes lined its spine from head to the tip of its tail.

"Why would he play _that_ in attack mode?" Liquid wondered aloud. "It's not strong enough to take out either of our monsters".

"Maybe not yet, but I have a way to make it strong enough" Tashiro declared, holding up a Magic card. "I activate Dragon Treasure. This increases Baby Dragon's attack power by 300!"

Okita grimaced while the power of the card surrounded the small dragon, the beast gurgled as its offensive power increased beyond that of either Krebons or Giant Rat **[ATK 1500]**.

"Baby Dragon, take out Krebons!" the suit yelled, pointing to the jester opposite.

The dragon opened its small mouth, quickly building a sphere of flames to launch at its target. Okita tucked his chin behind his Duel Disk, throwing his left arm to the side afterwards.

"Krebons' monster effect – I can pay 800 lifepoints to negate attacks that target it" he snapped.

**OKITA / LIQUID - TASHIRO / AASE  
7200 - LP - 8000**

Tashiro clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth in disappointment. He had been hoping to deal the first strike early, a way to damage the opponent swiftly. The two choosing to sacrifice lifepoints wasn't the way he wanted them to go down. He picked up a card from his hand and pushed it into his Duel Disk.

"I'll set a card and leave it there" he scowled.

**FIFTH TURN – OKITA**

"It's my turn. Draw!" the chirpy brunette called, looking over his hand once inserting the new card into it. His spectacles gleamed as his smile thickened while observing the card he had drawn from the deck. "I summon Life Harmonizer **[ATK 800]**".

The small blue blob appeared, somewhat resembling a tadpole, the creature possessed several shades of blue across its small body. Lemon yellow patches stood out around its dark eyes, another waving patch opened with the same shade, the mouth of the young creature.

"Now who's summoning weak monsters in attack mode" Aase scowled, pointing his right hand at the monster. "Just what do you plan to do with _that_?"

"Simple" Okita replied, smirking deviously. "I activate Psi-Station, increasing Life Harmonizer's attack power by 1500 and its level by 1".

A faint green glow crept around the creature that purred, welcoming the new power and shooting its offensive ability far beyond that of any other monster on the field **[ATK 2200]**. Aase and Tashiro both bit their tongues, waiting for the inevitable strike against Baby Dragon that would decrease their lifepoints and narrow their lead over the Psychic pair. Rena watched eagerly, somewhat suspicious over Okita's strategy. But she had an idea; with that card, his monsters' levels totalled five, there had to be a reason he had used the card other than to merely increase the attack strength of his small creature.

"Here we go" Okita stated. "I tune Level 2 Krebons with Level 3 Life Harmonizer!"

"A Synchro Summon?" Tashiro gasped. "Damn it!"

Krebons surrendered its body, creating two stars that floated above Life Harmonizer that then stretched into identical rings. The two descended over the small electric-looking being, sucking three stars from it. The sparkles played within the barriers and lined themselves, guiding a streak of light that grew stronger.

"Synchro Summon!" Okita yelled, throwing his right hand up. "Magical Android! **[ATK 2400]**"

The monster that appeared was one familiar to Rena; the same redheaded woman dressed in turquoise, blue and gold she had faced before. The being swung her curved sword wildly as she struck her pose ready to take part in the battle.

"Magical Android, attack Baby Dragon!" Okita called, pointing at the creature.

The Synchro Psychic lunged forward, positioning her weapon to strike the opposing monster. Aase smirked, withdrawing his arm and pressing down on a key at the edge of his Duel Disk's circular centre.

"Trap card – Begone, Knave!" he yelled. "This'll return any monster that deals damage back to its owner's hand".

"Oh my" Okita gasped.

"That means Okita's losing three monsters in the place of one" Rena cried out. "He sacrificed his other monsters for nothing. He'll be defenceless".

Magical Android's sword cut into Baby Dragon, piercing through its chest. The young creature screeched and flailed on the end of the blade, squirming before it exploded. A teal aura surrounded Magical Android, who observed the glow around her and began to cry out, forced from the field.

"It's just a shame that Synchro Monsters can't go back to you hand" Aase laughed darkly.

Okita removed Magical Android from his deck, a frown across his face as he despotised it back into his Extra Deck. Rena curved her eyebrows at the sight of Okita without a smile. Since meeting him, he had been smiling with the exception being when she defeated him, otherwise, he was permanently smiling. Did this change prelude something worse ahead? Was Okita worried?

**OKITA / LIQUID - TASHIRO / AASE  
7200 - LP - 7100**

"Since I've already summoned this turn, I've little more to do than end my turn" the brunette sighed heavily.

**SIXTH TURN – AASE**

"My turn!" the officer gleefully snapped, drawing from his deck. "I summon Asura Priest! **[ATK1700]**"

A grey-skinned figure appeared with three heads connected as one, each sprouting royal blue hair. Three arms saved from each side of its torso, decorated like its chest with gold jewellery and markings. A maroon cloth hung over its right shoulder, reappearing around its waist and hanging over its legs. All the eyes of its identical heads were closed, but the hands glided through the air without colliding, as well as it could perform with them open. Okita grimaced at the sight of the creature, certain he knew who the target would be.

"Asura Priest, attack the player directly!" Aase yelled, pointing at the defenceless Okita.

The three-headed human held up its six hands, swords materialised behind flashes above each. Twenty-four fingers wrapped themselves around the handles; the blades gleamed under the lights fixed overhead. Rena and Liquid exchanged glances, the former worried, the latter unafraid. The six weapons shot forward, striking Okita's arms and legs, the final slamming into the Duel Disk he held up as a shield.

"Okita!" Rena cried, taking a step towards the pair.

"Stay there" Liquid called hastily. "If you get too close, they'll count it as interference and they'll claim victory by default. This place has cameras all over the place, they'd have their evidence".

The dirty-blonde pointed to one of the cameras in the corner of the corridor on the opposite side to the edge they had taken. Rena frowned, with that view, they had everything; Divine and Aki, Jeager calling his guards, every feature of the trio. She frowned and retreated a step, returning to where she had been, and set her eyes on Okita, who groaned as he lowered the Duel Disk, swords dissolving into nothing.

**OKITA / LIQUID - TASHIRO / AASE  
5900 - LP - 7100**

"How does it feel? To be struck down by power?" Aase chuckled.

"At least Asura Priest will be sent back to your hand before it does any more damage" Okita hissed, clutching his chest.

"Asura Priest is a Spirit monster, it would return to my hand at the end of my turn regardless" the officer laughed. The grey-skinned figure vanished, leaving his field with one

"Damn, they're a step ahead of us" Liquid scowled, shooting a glare at the duo opposite... "That Trap won't even affect his monsters any differently than they would work".

"I set a card face-down" Aase added, leaving his field empty of offensive monsters and back to one face-down creature. "Turn end".

**SEVENTH TURN – LIQUID**

"Draw!" Liquid snapped. "Seeing as leaving ourselves vulnerable isn't an option, I summon Power Injector! **[ATK 1300]**"

A large grey-green skinned man appeared, red eyes burning in the sockets beneath the stitched incision around his head. Three silver bolts stood from the upper half of his skull, an additional cavity had made above his left eye, an empty place for a fourth. The man-shaped figure wore a turtleneck white shirt that clung onto his bottom jaw, a blue jacket with white patterns over that. Forest green trousers covered his narrow legs, looking unsuited to support his body. Cannons made of red glass replaced hands, grey wires connecting the bronze ends to the being's back.

"I see what he's trying to do" Tashiro scowled, shooting a glance at his team-mate.

"Liquid's planning a direct attack" Rena commentated discreetly.

"Giant Rat, go for it!" Liquid yelled, pointing at the Security officer.

The rodent scampered across the field on its hind legs, the skull in its claws shining as it took in power from the rat's will. The animal launched the skull ahead of it, sending it ahead for the remainder of the journey across the invisible battlefield. Aase smirked, unnerving both Okita and Rena as they watched the fleshless head soar towards him.

"Trap card – Magic Cylinder!" he called.

"Damn it" Liquid hissed.

"Liquid, watch out" Okita cried out immediately after his friend.

Two tubes appeared on the field, maroon with gold stripes across it, the wider pair with black diamonds. Between the two inner streaks, white question marks stood out. The skull toppled into the left cylinder, the three student Psychics cringed as they waited anxiously. A pink blast erupted from the twin cylinder, shooting across the field and slamming into Liquid, who groaned as the beam hit him.

**OKITA / LIQUID - TASHIRO / AASE  
4500 - LP - 7100**

"Liquid!" Rena called from the side-lines.

Liquid fell to one knee, watching the lifepoints in the counter of his Duel Disk plummet to almost half what they began with. He scowled, lifting his glare to the officer as he heard the laughter flood into his ears.

"And since Giant Rat dealt damage, it gets sent back to your hand" Aase laughed proudly.

"What?" Rena gasped in horror. "All it did was hurt Liquid, but it still goes back to his hand?"

"That must be their strategy – to keep our monsters from defending us and dealing damage through direct attacks" Okita called, leaning forward slightly.

The rodent vanished from the field, entering Liquid's once hand more. The dirty-blonde scowled as he looked over the cards in his hand, eyes flitting between each. There was little left.

"I set two cards face-down. Turn end".

Rena furrowed her forehead as she watched; Liquid had lost the stronger of his two monsters and had nothing face-down. If Tashiro summoned a stronger monster, he could easily strike down the Power Injector standing in from of him.

**EIGHTH TURN – TASHIRO**

"Draw" the suited man called, removing the top card of his deck. "I activate Simultaneous Loss. This forces us both to lose a card from the top of ours decks".

"Why did he wait until now to activate that?" Liquid mused discreetly. "Did he want that card, and willing to risk losing a better one for it?"

"I set a monster face-down" Tashiro called, throwing another card face-down on his field. A holographic replica appeared on the field in front of him, matching the hidden monster on Aase's field. "As tempting as it is to strike your monster down, I'm saving my lifepoints. Turn end".

**NINETH TURN – OKITA**

"It's my turn. Draw!" Okita announced. His smile returned when he set his eyes on the new card "I summon Healing Wave Generator **[DEF 1600]**".

An oval mirror appeared on the field, lined with blocks of bronze and yellow lights fixed onto the frame, blinking in time with the flashing red light fixed on the bottom.

"So you're trying to play it safe, huh?" Aase taunted, smirking. "It won't do you any good. If one of my monsters attacks that thing and gets a little damaged, it'll be _your_ monster that gets returned to your hand".

"But it'll be you losing lifepoints" Okita responded calmly. "You won't be able to touch our lifepoints".

"We'll see about that" Aase hissed, smirking coldly.

"You won't wipe our lifepoints, I won't allow it" Okita protested.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Tashiro questioned, folding his arms confidently.

"Like this – Spring of Rebirth!" Okita shouted. "This gives us 500 lifepoints every time a monster returns to our hands".

At the edge of the duel field, Rena's shoulders dipped, a smile crossing her face as she watched the play. "That means that even when their monsters are returned, they'll be able to use that to their advantage. When they're attacked, they'll have a few hundred more lifepoints standing between them and losing".

Liquid smirked at the girl in the corner of his eye, the two may not have been good friends yet, but they trusted each other. Seeing her smile at the opportunity Okita had given them made him feel better about her; she wasn't just concerned for Okita, but him as well. Room-mates, classmates, they were together as fellow Psychics, trusting and growing. Even if they couldn't stand each other, they were stuck together. He moved his attention back to the duel as Okita opened his mouth again.

"I end my turn there".

**TENTH TURN – AASE**

"My turn" the security officer called. He looked down at the card he had been given and smirked. "I activate The Shallow Grave". An enlarged copy of the card glowed into view before him, depicting a zombie creature climbing out of the ground it had been buried beneath. "This lets us both reclaim a monster from our Graveyards and set them face-down".

Aase moved first, placing a face-down monster to the right of his existing servant. Okita followed, removing Krebons from his deck and laying it face-down to the left of Healing Wave Generator. The twin holograms emerged simultaneously. Aase held up another card.

"Now I play another monster face-down" he added with a smug grin.

He threw the card down, creating a replica of the other two cards on his field. Liquid tapered his eyes at the sight of three face-down monsters on one field; he was building up to something. A droplet of sweat built itself on Rena's forehead as she watched.

"Three monsters… but if he's building up for a high level monster, then why didn't he release his two monsters to summon it?" she asked herself, pressing the edge of her curled forefinger against her chin. "Can they really have something that requires _three_ sacrifices?"

"Now I activate Double Summon!" Aase yelled, holding the card above his head. "This means I can release two of my face-down monsters in order to Advance Summon something _much_ stronger".

"Wait, he's keeping a monster?" Liquid gasped.

Transparent versions of the hidden monsters appeared briefly, revealing them to be the revived Baby Dragon and the newer Otohime. The twin cards melted into two spheres of energy, blobs of colours crashing into each other and swimming carelessly. The couple floated higher in the air, dancing the ritualistic frolicking before absorbing one another. The mass grew into one larger shape; Aase threw his right arm wildly towards the form.

"Appear now, Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi! **[ATK 2800]**" he yelled tremendously.

The colours exploded into a massive man, tanned and brawny. Crimson markings had been painted onto the biceps. Around his waist, a faded forest green belt and golden buckle held the white cloth hanging from his waist, joined by a loose circle of beads. Atop his smirking face, red flames burned fiercely, replacing hair.

"This is what he's been building up to… this… _beast_" Liquid hissed breathlessly.

"But why didn't he use his other face-down monster as a sacrifice? What's so important about that?" Rena asked herself, eyeing the card suspiciously.

"Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, attack Power Injector!" Aase yelled.

"It's a Spirit Monster as well" Okita gasped, then turned to his partner. "Liquid!"

Flames sparked around the massive man's fist. Neither of the Psychic duellists could do anything before he lunged across the field, grinning inanely and striking the vulnerable Power Injector with his fist. The wide enemy flailed as the fist smashed through its chest and ignited its internals. The flaming demon towered over the defeated combatant as he exploded, Liquid groaned as shards shot past him, using his right arm to shield his lowered head.

"Liquid!" Rena cried out, powerless as a spectator to his struggle.

**OKITA / LIQUID - TASHIRO / AASE  
3000 - LP - 7100**

Liquid fell to one knee, groaning as the lifepoints he shared with Okita plummeted. Rena's face twisted into a mixture of horror and despair at the sight of one of the pair downed. Aase's laughter drew her and Okita's eyes, adding fury into the recipe.

"Luckily for you, Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi gets returned to my hand now" the officer added, entertained by the latest round.

Rena set her anxious eyes back onto Okita and Liquid; they had two monsters between them, neither able to take on very much. If the duo representing Jeager were able to pull off another successful round like the one that was continuing, then the Psychic pair of Arcadia would fall with ease and fail not only Aki, but the rest of those they stood for.

* * *

**-**  
Arcadia **~ PREVIEW ~ **Arcadia

_Rena: Okita… Liquid…_

_Okita: We're not letting you get to Izayoi-san! You won't take away our hope!_

_Aase: You can't stand up to Security. Now you'll see just how powerful we are._

_Liquid: Power has nothing to do with it when we work better together._

_Rena: Next, Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – Reverse of Arcadia, "Worth of the Disowned! Clash Across the Rift". Fight for Izayoi-san. Even if she can't prove us, you guys can._


	3. Worth of the Disowned! Clash Across Rift

**Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – Reverse of Arcadia**

by Yusei

_**Summary -**__ "__As a member of Arcadia, Rena begins to learn of the organization's secrets as a war begins to unfold. The present and the past begin to clash, unleashing a future of doubt as the Signers rise up to battle the darkness_".

_**Disclaimer - **__I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of the characters._

_**A / N – **Again, I'd like to thank everyone for reading this and apolgise for the lack of quality in the duel. It was a difficult one to plan and get right, but it still drags on for far too long. Hopefully, the rest of the chapter will make up for it. Please read and review._

* * *

**Divine / Aki -****「****Neo-Domino****」****- Duel Stadium**

Surrounded by Psychics from Arcadia that had returned to them, Divine and Aki stood in the shadows of the tunnel, watching on the monitor hanging close by as footage from across the tournament was played in a montage of power, skill and defiance. All in preparation for the title match – Fudo Yusei verses Jack Atlus. Divine frowned – it was supposed to be Aki fighting for worldwide recognition. He continually encouraged Aki that the final match of the main tournament was good enough to get the message of Arcadia out there, but inside, his stomach churned with outrage – Aki had been overthrown by some punk from Satellite, summoned to the tournament by Godwin, no less. He frowned, eyes ablaze as he watched the crimson D-Wheel shoot out of the tunnel to thousands of cheers and shouts of encouragement; they had even picked him over Aki, because he couldn't harm them like she could. They were cowards, now they would turn against him in favour of the King.

"Divine, sir?" a voice came.

The ox-blood haired man turned to find Haruki standing behind him, her eyebrows curved uneasily. His face remained stern as he turned to face her.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Is Izayoi-san, alright?" Haruki asked, casting a glance at the shaken witch. "She's been clutching her arm since you got back, is she hurt?"

"Haruki, you have to trust Aki" Divine murmured. "She's fine, physically. Though I fear that duelling Fudo Yusei may have unearthed some old memories she'd rather forget again. I think that he was trying to undo what we did and sabotage her chances at happiness".

"How terrible" Haruki sighed. She turned back to Divine, setting her eyes on his. "So what was that glow on her arm? We all saw it – there was some kind of pattern glowing on her arm".

"It's a gift" Divine claimed with a smile. "It's what makes her powerful, but it also appeared to her at the wrong moment. Because of that, she hates it. But she doesn't hate being a Psychic, she loves it. People need to accept her as she is, and that's what frustrates her".

Divine moved to her side, laying a hand on her shoulder. Aki released a small gasp and peered over her shoulder, finding Divine on the opposite side of her thick bangs, Haruki watched from the side-lines.

"Aki, will you be alright to get back to Arcadia?" Divine tightened his fingers around her shoulder blade, hoping to coach her back to the truck. His large jacket still hung over her shoulder.

"Y- Yes. I'd like to just go home" A heavy sigh came from Aki. Divine smiled and looked back to Haruki.

"I'm trusting you to guide Aki back there. Take her and everyone you can" he commanded. "Those around the building will be making their ways out and heading back, so don't worry about them".

"But what about you? Are you suggesting we leave you behind?" Haruki cried in response. Aki's eyes widened fearfully at the mere thought of abandoning the man.

"No, I'll be coming too. Only I have to see something first" Divine answered with a reassuring smile. "I'm going to see just what Godwin has planned for those two duelling, apparently, it could be something big. But I don't want to risk anyone here, so I'll stay alone, I know a good place to watch from. Just be ready to leave any moment, I don't know how quickly this thing will be over".

Haruki nodded with nothing more to say. She paced towards Aki, hand falling onto the one grasping the arm once alight with crimson magic. Aki's body flinched, drawing her eyes to the smiling face.

"Come on, Izayoi-san, Divine wants you to rest. We'll all be there to help you" she chirped.

"Div…" She turned to face him. "Divine".

"Go, Aki" he answered without so much as a glance in her direction.

"I won' leave you behind" Aki protested desperately.

"You won't, Aki. I won' ever leave you unless you want me to" Divine's voice answered. There were still no eyes on the backwards face.

"You… promise? Heavy breaths came from the woman as she asked.

"I swear on my life".

The words were comforting to hear; knowing that _someone_ would stand by her through thick and thin, not like those wretched parents. Her eyes moved to Haruki, the face sliced by magenta still smiled as gently as any face Divine had given her.

"You'll stay with me too, right?" Aki asked with almost timidity encasing her words.

"I promise" Haruki answered with a nod, wrapping her fingers around the tight hand.

The girl wrapped her fingers around the edges of Aki's, prying the warm palm from the black arm. Aki tightened her hand, grasping the new touch. With the other arm, she tore Divine's coat from her, throwing it over his left arm.

"I'll be waiting for you" she whispered delicately.

He remained focused on the screen, Jack Atlus and Yusei side-by-side at the starting line, discussing some matter between them that meant nothing to him. He was just waiting. But fascination elsewhere was a foreign concept for Aki, normally, she couldn't see his eyes anywhere by on her, suddenly, he was elsewhere, preoccupied with the matters of strangers. So, she trusted Haruki.

"Alright, we're withdrawing to the trucks" Haruki called firmly. "If you see anyone, let them know. But don't stick around especially to find others; the message is spreading across the Stadium as we speak".

Close to a dozen Psychics dressed in the standard Arcadia uniform followed Haruki and Aki as they staggered towards the nearest door; that which would lead them to the awaiting convoy and away from the jeering 'normal' people.

* * *

-遊戯王5D's-

Arcadia **~ Chapter 3 – Worth of the Disowned! Clash Across the Rift ~ **Arcadia

**Okita / Liquid / Rena -****「****Neo-Domino****」****- Duel Stadium**

Okita glanced at Liquid, who bore his teeth irately at the duo standing opposite. Rena, still stranded on the side-lines, leapt from edge to edge of the battlefield, assessing anything that the Psychic duo could do successfully. That was, if there _was_ anything. The two decks worked together decently, but Aase and Tashiro seemed to be one step ahead with every play. It dawned on her that the security camera hanging behind their side of the battlefield could be spying on the cards the pair clutched, but there was nothing she could do to stop it. She was a mere spectator to everything; victory depended on the struggling double act.

The pair stood side-by-side without a word, watching their opponents with stern glares after the devastating blow dealt by the strongest creature in Aase's deck, slicing their lifepoints by a great deal. The only consolation of the move was the 500 point recovery curiosity of Spring of Rebirth.

**OKITA / LIQUID - TASHIRO / AASE  
3500 - LP - 7100**

**ELEVENTH TURN – LIQUID**

"It's my tur-" Liquid called.

"Before you draw, Higo-Kagu-Tsuchi's effect activates" Aase hollered with a smirk. "Because it dealt damage to you, you have to discard your entire hand before you draw".

"What?" Okita gasped, touching his bottom lip with his fingers as he twisted his neck, viewing his struggling partner with apprehension. "Liquid… hang in there".

Liquid closed his eyes without a sound and tossed the cards into the Duel Disk's cemetery, burying each before they had a chance to prove themselves useful. Okita frowned at the strangely calm state of his partner.

"It's such a powerful card" Rena mumbled to herself, watching the stoic blonde. "It deals out so much damage and then renders the opponent unable to anything against the building defences ready to summon it again".

"Draw" Liquid mumbled. "I summon Psychic Commander to the field **[ATK 1400]**".

A grey-skinned man clad in a Lincoln green uniform appeared in front of Liquid, his arm snapped into a salute. The lower half of the man creature was lost to the space-age craft he stood in; a large cannon directly in front of him and directed at the enemy. Rods stood against the curved steel surface and a ring of chartreuse rectangles lined the centre of the machine.

"In addition to that, I'll set Psychic Jumper into defence mode before you can attack it". A blue descended over the ready creature, dyeing every inch of it in the new hue. "I end my turn".

**TWELVETH TURN – TASHIRO**

"Draw" the suited man declared. "I release my face-down monster in order to Advance Summon Crawling Dragon **[ATK 1600]** to the field".

A low dragon with scales slightly darker than Liquid's hair crawled through the rainbow sphere that hung in the place of the face-down monster, scorching puffs of steam spilled out of its large nostrils beneath azure eyes. Silver spikes rose from the spine, lining the centre of the beast, with larger counterparts sprouting from the four feet. Small tattered wings stood out of its back.

"I can't see why you bothered so summon something so weak when its just going to get slaughtered" the man laughed. "Crawling Dragon, destroy Psychic Commander!"

The low dragon stormed across the field, charging towards the floating Psychic creature. Liquid pulled himself back, smirking as he watched the scene.

"I can't see why you bothered to attack when your monster's charging to its destruction". A smile crept across his face. "Psychic Commander's monster effect – I can pay up to 500 lifepoints to lower your monster's attack power by the same amount".

"What? Damn Psychics" Tashiro growled, pressing the edges of his teeth against the opposite.

"I surrender 300 lifepoints to drop Crawling Dragon's attack power by the same amount **[ATK 1300]**".

The cannon of Psychic Commander began to glow, gathering energy – the counterattack. A blast of brilliant blue and white tore through the air and punctured a rough hole into the back and bely of the dragon, which moaned and collapsed onto the ground. Its body gave out, exploding and throwing shards everywhere, Tashiro cringed as it did so. He rose his head beyond the central line and to Liquid.

"Because Psychic Commander dealt damage, it's sent back to your hand" he scowled, a small prize after the cost of two monsters.

"Which then activates Spring of Rebirth" Liquid added solemnly, taking the card from the surface of the machine.

**OKITA / LIQUID - TASHIRO / AASE  
3700 - LP - 7000**

"I'll set a card face-down and end it there" the suited man growled, throwing the face-down card into his Duel Disk.

**THIRTEENTH TURN – OKITA**

"Then it comes to my turn – draw" the brunette Psychic stated with a smile. "Now I flip Krebons into attack mode". The revived jester creature leapt out from the cover of the face-down card, its white teeth visible between the narrow lips cured into a smile whilst juggling transparent green blocks without touching them with its nimble fingers.

"I activate Healing Wave Generator's ability, increasing my lifepoints by 100 for each one of Krebons' levels, giving Liquid and myself 200".

**OKITA / LIQUID - TASHIRO / AASE  
3900 - LP - 7000**

"Next, I summon Golden Ladybug **[ATK 0]** in attack mode". The insect made of gold glistened on the field, its wings buzzing as it soared through the blue vortex, the casing vertical to enable flight. "I tune Level 2 Krebons with Level 4 Healing Wave Generator and Level 1 Golden Ladybug!"

The jester fiend released its earthly body, slicing its essence into two glimmering sparks that danced in the air and stretched, descending over the two remaining creatures as a pair of rings, one surrounding the other. From the mirror, four identical stars stripped the previous form, one alone from the insect. The five danced in the centre of their pens as the two rings spun in the air, aligning themselves and guiding the stars to do the same. A stream of light shot through each, linking them together. The light roared and exploded rapidly, forcing each player to shield their eyes from the intensity of the brightness.

"Synchro Summon" Okita called, throwing his arm up. "Appear now, Psychic Lifetrancer! **[ATK 2400]**"

The aquamarine-skinned woman appeared, her metallic arm shining all the same. The fingers of each hand – both natural and artificial – opened; two orbs hovered above them; one dark and one light. Rena watched in awe at the being she had faced herself, but she had yet to see a Synchro Summon performed using the lives of more than two creatures – a feat she had just witnessed. Okita smiled, both with confidence and glee.

Psychic Lifetrancer, attack the face-down monster!"

A finger moved in line with the hidden creature. The black orb above the silver arm shifted, swimming in the air to keep in line with the manmade palm of the master. The woman launched it forward, relinquishing control of the power and sending it hissing through the air. The sphere of energy soared through the air, riding up invisible slopes as it skated through the air and spun like a child's playful spirit. Once it reached the end of the distance, it dropped itself down onto the target, smashing against the flat edge and exploding, engulfing the impact zone in smoke. Okita smiled, pleased with the result, above his head, a replica of the detonated orb grew in place of its predecessor.

On the opposite side of the fumes, Aase smiled; a face that Rena could catch glimpses of through the waving streams from the collision. The sight unsettled her stomach, making it crawl. The cloud dispersed, revealing the truth – the robed creature was still alive.

"What?" Okita gasped.

"Spirit Reaper is invulnerable to battle – it can't be destroyed unless you try another method" Aase laughed. "So your plan to use that Synchro to destroy monsters without dealing damage won't work".

"An invincible barrier" Liquid scowled.

Rena set her eyes on the pair, finding Liquid's clenched hand by his side – a mere symbol of the frustration pulsing through them both. A card emerged from Okita's Graveyard, into his hand and the air.

"I remove Power Injector to activate Psychic Lifetrancer's ability" the brunette stated firmly. "Granting us1200 lifepoints".

Glimmers of light surfed through the air over Okita's head, sprinkling him with the sparkles similar to those from the wings of a fabled creature. His smile brightened as he watched the gift of his creatures, spraying from the golden orb over her flesh hand. A gift from the lighter side of the creature.

**OKITA / LIQUID - TASHIRO / AASE  
5100 - LP - 7000**

"With that, my turn comes to an end".

**FOURTEETH TURN – AASE**

"It's my turn" the Security officer hollered. "I summon Asura Priest **[ATK 1700]** to the field. And this time, I'm putting him to better use; you two aren't going to screw us about this time". The blue-skinned human conjured itself out of thin air and onto the field beside the defensive Spirit Reaper, its six hands open and ready to capture swords summoned by its power. Beside it, Tashiro's face-down card rose, standing vertically.

"But before that, I activate my Ceasefire Trap card" Tashiro smirked wickedly behind the lifted card, unnerving Liquid whose eyebrows curved suspiciously. "This deals 500 points of damage to you both for each Effect monster on the field".

A blast fired from the artwork of the holographic card, coming to an abrupt halt against the surface of Okita's Duel Disk, the brunette groaned as he struggled to stand against the force of the blast, his body trembled under the power while his arm waved amidst the glow thrown against the machine connected to it.

**OKITA / LIQUID - TASHIRO / AASE  
3100 - LP - 7000**

"Time to eliminate that Synchro monster of yours" Aase growled. "Asura Priest, attack it now!"

The officer launched his arm towards the divided Psychic opposite; six swords appeared in the air above the servants hands in separate blue shades, dropping into the clutches of the creature skilfully. Without hesitation, each was dispatched in a series.

"What? Why does he think this will work?" Liquid questioned to nobody in particular. "Asura Priest isn't strong enough to take it on and survive".

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Aase scoffed. "Once your Lifetrancer takes out Asura Priest, it'll be sent back to your Extra Deck and won't be about to boost your lifepoints anymore".

Both of the orbs in possession of the green woman swirled in the air, rotating above her head and sucking in three of the approaching blades, swallowing them effortlessly and crushing them within their limitless interiors. The blue-skinned monster gasped as the blades sank from view. The twin spheres danced and zipped through the air, smashing into it in waves, a holler rose from the loosely clad man before he exploded; throwing shards of its reduced form at Aase who groaned as he lifted a defensive arm.

**OKITA / LIQUID - TASHIRO / AASE  
3100 - LP - 6300**

"Now Psychic Lifetrancer returns from the field" he grumbled, glaring through the visor of his helmet at the brunette Psychic man directly opposite him. The lone Psychic on Okita's field vanished in a shower of sparkles, her form dissolving as she was forced from the battlefield and into the safety of the Extra Deck in Okita's uniform. "Turn end. Do your worst". A smug smirk crept onto Aase's face once more.

**FIFTEENTH TURN – LIQUID**

"I intend to" Liquid growled, drawing from his deck. His eyes skipped across the enemy field and to Tashiro, who stood behind a space of nothing – no defence set up in the case of an attack on his lifepoints. The choice was clear; crystal and simple. "I activate my face-down Reckless Greed – allowing me to draw two cards and then surrender my next two Draw Phases". Two cards slid out of his deck and into his hands, bringing with them a smirk to the Psychic's face. "I summon Mind Protector **[ATK 0]**".

The card fell onto the empty monster space on top of the Duel Disk, unleashing a golden armoured machine, sapphires implanted into the palms of its metal hands. A rippled line ran across its chest, monitoring the machine's condition beneath red glinting eyes painted in blood. The Trap card left rose in front of the Arcadia duellist.

"I activate my face-down Angel Lift" he called. "This will permit me to revive the Psychic Jumper that I lost when I had to discard my hand".

A being with ice-blue skin appeared on Liquid's field, clothed in an open brown trench coat and black trousers. Blood red nails shone on the end of each finger and toe. Steel spikes glinted dangerously from the shoulders of the being, matching the strange device around its cranium **[ATK 100]**.

"I tune Level 2 Psychic Jumper with Level 3 Mind Protector".

The bare-chested man relinquished his body, transforming the remnants of its human-shaped body into two stars that spun in the air, expanding into flat green rings. The two descended over Mind Protector, luring three stars out of the creature, lining them and sparking the final phase of tuning.

"Synchro Summon, Magical Android! **[ATK 2400]**"

A replica of the Synchro Monster that Okita had summoned earlier in the duel appeared, swinging her curved blade fashionably. Amidst the display, her cold eyes locked onto the enemy field and she pointed her weapon between the duo opposite.

"Next, I activate Megamorph" he shouted, holding the card at the end of his stretched arm to the enemy. "When our lifepoints are lower than the opponents', this doubles the attack power of Magical Android". The Psychic being hummed as a pale blue aura lit the ground beneath her feet, gratefully accepting the gift of the deck and smiling when her face softened, setting her eyes back onto the suited man and his uniformed partner **[ATK 4800]**. "I know exactly what I'm risking, but it'll all be worth it once you feel this – Magical Android, direct attack!"

Tashiro's muscles went rigid as the enhanced creature dove forward, slicing her weapon through the air, floating across the still battlefield with nothing to stop her. The weapon rose above her head and came down across him, striking him across the chest and knocking him back. The man cried out in horror and anguish as he flew back, slamming against the elevator doors where his superior had last been seen behind, retreating to somewhere safe. His body shuddered as a weak groan escaped him.

"Tashiro!" Aase called. He turned furiously to the three standing as spectators to the display of power, his jaws clenched fiercely. "You damn Psychic bastards, keep your powers to yourself".

"You knew exactly what you were getting into when you agreed to fight us" Liquid coldly replied. "Magical Android returns to my Extra Deck, and there's' nothing more I'll do for now. Turn end".

**OKITA / LIQUID - TASHIRO / AASE  
3100 - LP - 1500**

**SIXTEENTH TURN – TASHIRO**

"Well it _should_ be Tashiro's turn, but you may as well have killed him just then" Aase snarled. "The instant you two are finished, I'm hauling your asses to the Detention Centre, regardless of what's going on there".

"N… No, Aase. I'm going to keep fighting".

Heavy pants drew Aase's eyes, they widened within the shadowing of the visor, shocked to see Tashiro up so quickly after such a harsh blow, driven solely by willpower. His right hand clutched the skin covering his thumping heart, trying to cover the damage, but unable to stretch across the large tear in his suit, a mark of the attack launched.

"But, Tashiro, that was a big blast" Aase protested. "You're lucky to be alive, just let me finish them off for you. I'm not about to let you get hurt just because some Psychic punks can't learn to duel properly".

Liquid's eyes narrowed sharply, locking onto the ignorant Security officer who ignored the piercing look to focus on his injured companion. Tashiro smiled; a drop of sweat running down the side of his face and shook his head at his partner.

"No, I've got to keep going" he breathed raggedly. He picked a card from the hand and laid it delicately onto the top of his Duel Disk. "I summon Gokipon **[ATK 800]**".

The small auburn ant-like creature popped onto the field, large blue eyes matching that of any innocent look belonging to a child. Large antennas fell either side of its head, six arms stretched, the top two rising and aiming the fists to the sky above. What resembled a picnic blanket was wrapped around the creature's neck, tied beneath the curved mouth of the small animal. Aase twisted his neck, keeping his eyes traced on his partner, watching for any sign of pain, anything to could stop his colleague from fighting.

"Direct attack" Tashiro managed to command with a strain voice.

The creature scampered forward, towards Liquid. None of the duellists watched the creature with any fears of it inflicting major damage, more like a final gasp of life from Tashiro before he passed out following the fierce display of Psychic powers. The ant wrapped its front two arms around Liquid's leg and bit into his leg. There was no reaction from Liquid, but a stern glare before swinging his leg and launching the creature back to the opposite side of the field. Regardless of the ungraceful landing, the creature continued to smile and crawled in circles until it found itself back where it had started. Tashiro's eyebrows fell closer to the tops of his sunglasses, no doubt glaring at Liquid for kicking away his only chance left of dealing damage.

**OKITA / LIQUID - TASHIRO / AASE  
2300 - LP - 1500**

"With that done with, I'll end my turn" he rasped hoarsely, clutching his chest tighter.

**SEVENTEENTH TURN – OKITA**

"It's my turn" the brunette Psychic declared softly, pulling the top card of his deck from the rest. The card returned to his hand, blending in with the others, leading a smirk across Okita's face. Rena and Liquid watched their friend eagerly while Aase glared regardless of the quality of draw, still fuming over the use of Psychic powers against his trusted colleague. "It seems this duel is over".

"Oh, you think that?" Aase snapped.

"I'm afraid, for you, it's more than thinking. I _know_ it" Okita muttered, lifting another card from his hand. "I summon Telekinetic Soldier in attack mode **[ATK 1700]**".

A being clad in sage green trousers passed through a vortex pulled open, the torso covered by crimson armour, complete with a matching helmet. The helm was divided into two colours, a white curved shape drawn down the centre of the piece, surrounded the same shade of red. Electric yellow patterns decorated the torso and gloves matching the trousers took over the blood colour from the elbows to fingertips.

"Even if you do take out Gokipon with that thing, it's not enough to beat us" Aase snarled; unimpressed by the claim that the duel was at its end without solid evidence.

"Gokipon _isn't_ my target" Okita replied icily.

"You're going after Spirit Reaper?" Aase guessed suspiciously. "Did you forget it can't be destroyed by battle?"

"No, I remember that quite well" Okita stated, his signature smile departed from his cold face. "However, your monster isn't impervious to battle damage itself. And I'll show you have I intend to inflict it – I equip Telekinetic Soldier with Fairy Meteor Crush!"

"No!" Aase and Tashiro cried unanimously.

"Telekinetic Soldier, show that Arcadia isn't worthless. Attack Spirit Reaper!"

A small lilac crystal appeared in front of the red Psychic being. Sparks flickered from the palms of its hands, enveloping the jewel hovering in front of it. Electricity flashed around the gem, spitting fiercely as it moved through the air, above the head of the creature. Without orders, it launched the force forward, towards Spirit Reaper. The power zapped the monster, which didn't react to the power, but the shard passed through, slicing through the creature like it were a ghost and smashed against Aase's Duel Disk, shattered and slicing through the air. The Security officer moaned in defeat.

**OKITA / LIQUID - TASHIRO / AASE  
2300 - LP - 0**

**DUEL END**

Tashiro stumbled to Aase; the officer dashed to his friend and caught him before he could collapse. He glared at the three, watching Rena move towards the males stacking their cards once more, smiling at each other and congratulating the pair over the outcome. Aase scowled at them and focused on Tashiro, the elevator doors opening behind them.

"Come on, let's get you seen to. Who knows what kind of damage to those Psychic bastards have done" he mumbled softly. "We can find Jeager-san later".

The two paced into the small pod and allowed the doors to close behind them. The Psychic trio watched them as they retreated, not uttering a word, but savouring their victory, their accomplished task and ready to withdraw after their superiors. Liquid crossed the short distance between the others and smiled calmly.

"Well that was a pain" he commented. "Let's just get back to Arcadia before something _else_ happens".

Okita and Rena nodded their heads together and followed the dirty-blonde's lead, sprinting down a random corridor to find where the nearest exit was. Footsteps shuffled behind them, Rena paused and glared over her shoulder suspiciously, drawing Okita's narrow eyes.

"What is it, Rena?" he asked.

"I don't know. I think I saw one of the others" Rena claimed, keeping her eyes fixed on the scene behind them and the back of her head to the boys. "You guys go on ahead; I'll get whoever it is and their friends out".

"Are you sure?" Okita asked.

"Yeah, you guys have done so much already, it's time I do something useful".

Liquid stepped forward, wearing his usual unreadable face; his hand fell onto Okita's shoulder, bringing his friend back. "Let her do it. It's better that everyone gets out and we get separated for a bit; we've already arranged to meet with Haruki later, so it's not like we're not going to change our course".

Okita nodded faintly and turned back to Rena, smiling hollowly to the blind one. "Alright, but don't run into any more Security officers, I'm sure this place is swarming with them".

"Right" came the sharp reply. "I'll catch up with you guys as quickly as we can".

She darted off in the opposite direction, heading back to the site duel and leaving the couple to continue their search for an exit. Claps thundered from the soles of her shoes, bouncing off the cold walls until she reached the crossroads where they expanded too far to return. Rena looked around cautiously, expecting for another Security official to show himself and try to ambush her.

"Hey!"

The sudden voice was almost enough to tear Rena's skin from her and open a hole for her to leap through. She turned on her heels, finding a young girl racing towards her. The girl in question smirked happily as she charged, black hair hanging over her back, hidden by a long-sleeved t-shirt of turquoise and white horizontal stripes and a sleeveless amber jacket with two pockets on the chest, pale fluff lined the ends where would sprout. An orange bum bag hung loosely around her jeans stretching halfway over her calves; shoes of the same citrus shade hit the ground. A pink wristband covered her left wrist and large circular glasses did the same to her eyes.

"Hey, hey" she called as she stopped a short distance in front of Rena, clutching her camera and raising it. "You're from the Arcadia Movement, aren't you?"

"Uh…" Rena sounded nervously.

The girl snapped a photograph of her, blinding her for a few seconds with the flash, Rena's hand rose to shield her eyes from any further attacks. A light giggle came from the dark-haired one.

"Sorry, I'm Carly" she replied. "Carly Nagisa, journalist and photographer. I was hoping you could give me some information on that duel and the Arcadia Movement".

Rena struggled to find words in the face of the sudden fuss, the girl with hopes and a camera in her hand, searching for answers. The glasses of the girl sparkled brightly, filled with hopes of reaching an inspirational story behind the Arcadia Movement, to publish how they had been helpful and rescued Psychic Duellists from the bitter world that had shut them out.

But… there was nothing to suggest this Carly was onside. Rena frowned and tilted her head. "I'm sorry… but I'm new at the Arcadia Movement, I don't know very much at all".

Carly's eager smile reversed and her head bobbed, scanning Rena like the truth was hiding in her somewhere, Rena watched silently with bewilderment. She had never met someone like this person before, so strange and hopeful, but there was a sense of kindness and fun from the girl, something she wished she could find in herself. Like Haruki.

"It's strange for new people in Arcadia to be running about here, did you accompany Izayoi Aki?"

"Well…" Rena mumbled, rubbing her left arm uncomfortably.

A thundering roar erupted from behind Carly; something massive was happening in the Stadium itself. Carly leapt in the air and twirled, landing with her back to Rena and gazing through the thick spectacles with eyes filled with shock and excitement.

"W- W- What?" she stammered. "The final match has started? I've got to see what's happening!"

She darted down the hall behind her – heading back the way the lounge had been. Curious, Rena followed. Carly guided her through the hallways and to a tunnel ending in blinding sunlight, both girls raised their arms as they exited and found themselves amongst crowds of silent or screaming fans. The sky overhead was swirling; a combination of scarlet and purple, crimson lightning striking the stadium and through the sphere showing the Duel King Jack Atlus and the duellist that had taken out Aki. Rena's eyes moved to the scoreboard, finding the state of the battle.

**YUSEI - JACK  
900 - LP - 2300  
****5 - SPC - 5**

"Yusei, huh?" she whispered, setting her attention back on the enlarged track. The light was changing.

Both Rena and Carly gasped as the brightness took on a new form rather than dispersing – becoming a massive dragon of energy that towered over the two existing dragons like they were toys, more so for the racing D-Wheels. Carly fumbled with her camera, setting it to record a video of the scene, Rena turned to see her do so. Then above the device, she stretched her neck to make sure she was seeing things properly – Divine was standing amongst the stunned crowds in the mouth of a tunnel a level down, staring in awe at the beast.

"This is amazing; the thing is bigger than anything I've ever seen before!" Carly exclaimed, drawing Rena's eyes.

"What's that dragon, Carly?" she asked uneasily.

Carly twisted her body, moving both her eyes and camera onto Rena as her body locked itself in ecstasy. "I've no idea; I've never seen it before. Maybe the King summoned it".

She tuned back to the duel, in time to capture the dragon roaring as the two D-Wheels raced past, Carly gasped as she gazed at the camera in her hand, she had captured something shocking. Though she couldn't be sure, she gazed at screen and wondered to herself – had she just seen Yusei's arm glowing? She cast a glance at Rena, who watched as stunned as the other spectators, eyes trained on the massive dragon.

Wild gusts roared from the creature, blinding many and trying to rip the hair of people's heads out from the roots. Carly's camera shook violently as her frail arms battled the harsh winds, both girls cried out in terror and blinded. Light crawled further across the Stadium, engulfing the interior and shining in every camera lens. Everyone was blind to the duel continuing somewhere else.

In Rena's blackened vision, a wasteland filled the darkness after a couple of seconds; four young men stood in brown vests and trousers of black or blue. The scene was blurred, hindering any chance of identifying the quartet, but shades of hair could be made out – blonde, black, orange and ice-blue. The blonde turned his head to the black-haired individual by his side; a mouth flashing open in fits, speaking muted words, his friend seemed to smile and replied; his voice drowned out by the vague nature of the vision.

The scene was short-lived when Carly's clear cries penetrated the world and blackness consumed the group – that was when it dawned on Rena what was happening; they were still at the Fortune Cup. The fierce gusts whipping them began to die, the light fading, allowing people around the pair to open their eyes to them rub them and stare with wide confused looks. Yusei climbed out of his D-Wheel and began to sprint to the fallen Jack Atlus, whose D-Wheel had spun wildly and fallen; throwing him out and onto his left arm, his faint voice barely reached those in their seats. Carly's eyes darted from seating block to seating block, desperate to find out what had happened, Rena's eyes wandered to the scoreboard. Upon finding the truth, they widened and her mouth fell open.

"Carly!" she cried, pointing at the board. "Jack's lifepoints…"

The black-haired girl turned to the board, following Rena's finger, and gasped – according to the immense monitor showing the duel's stats… Jack had lost.

**YUSEI - JACK  
400 - LP - 0  
****8 - SPC - 2**

"W- W- What?" Carly yelped. "Jack Atlus lost? But… but how did everyone miss it? What did that dragon do?"

Her fist rose, punching the air furiously as she searched for any sign of the mysterious beast that had robbed Neo-Domino of their dramatic Fortune Cup tournament final. And answers over how Jack Atlus had been dethroned by a Satellite boy. The two girls looked back to Yusei and Jack, the former on his knees beside the disgraced Duel King, who laid on his stomach, speaking to his successor. A glint shone in Carly's glasses, steam puffed out her nostrils.

"I've got to get a scoop out of this" she called. "I'll catch up with you later".

Rena lifted her hand, about to inform Carly she hadn't given her name when the dark-haired girl raced off, leaving her alone. She smiled and shook her head slowly; it was unlike they'd ever meet again, but she was glad she had been able to hang out with someone without Psychic powers and back-up her feelings over Yusei and Aki's duel. The girl flashed in Rena's mind, reminding her of Divine and the others; she still had to get out and make it back to her friends. She turned on her heels and began to move down the corridor, away from the illuminated end and into the closed hallway.

The withdrawal didn't stop the MC's voice from blasting through every inch of the Stadium as he announced the shocking news to Neo-Domino, each stunned by the truth over their Fortune Cup final and the dethroning of their King, regardless of the conditions around it.

"_We finally have an outcome! The winner is Fudo Yusei!"_ he yelled into the large microphone in his hand, sending shockwaves through the building and across the City. _"King Jack Atlus' undefeated tale has been broken and we're seeing the birth of a new King right here. This is the birth of our Satellite-native King!"_

"The Satellite King, huh?" Rena mumbled, smiling as she paused and reflected on the scene of Yusei kneeling over Jack's defeated body, thrown to the ground violently by the power of his adversary. The four in her vision came to mind – were they like Yusei and Jack: adversaries? Were they friends?

The lack of answers was both frustrating and intriguing. A new era was beginning, after all.

* * *

**Liquid / Okita / Haruki -****「****Neo-Domino****」****- Arcadia Movement**

Liquid paced back and forth across the bedroom, his eyes trained on the floor to ensure nothing suddenly appeared in his path. Okita and Haruki watched, seated on the brunette's bed, silent as their friend marched in one direction and then reversed, marching over the same space. A tense silence took the room as they waited.

"Uh, Liquid…" Okita sounded, raising his hand. "I'm sure she's fine. Just calm yourself and sit down".

"No. I know she'll be fine, but it's been a while now" Liquid scowled. "I heard from some stragglers that something weird happened at the Fortune Cup. Something about a massive dragon and Jack Atlus being beaten".

"I heard about that from Izayoi-san" Haruki commented meekly. "She said that her arm was glowing while she was resting and then some guy from Satellite – the one that beat her – defeated Jack".

"Sounds like a tough nut" Liquid lamented. "At least he proved himself to be strong and not incapable of taking on powerful people. At least his win over Izayoi wasn't a fluke".

"I doubt that would have happened; they were fighting with their hearts and souls. I know, Izayoi-san said that's how she fought, I'm sure that Fudo Yusei was the same" Haruki answered. "He was certainly trying to show her something by doing so".

"Yeah, Rena said he was trying to prove that people outside the Arcadia Movement can be trusted just as much as those inside" Okita interjected, drawing Haruki's eyes as he repeated the claim.

"I don't know what he was trying to do, but Izayoi-san seems upset" Haruki sighed. "Maybe he didn't meant for it to be like that, but it is".

"Maybe Rena stuck around to _see_ that final match, maybe that guy said something similar to Jack Atlus" the brunette suggested, tapping his chin with a sole finger. "Maybe he was just applying it to Satellite and the City instead of Arcadia and those outside".

"Sounds like this guy is speaking for too many people to be trusted" Liquid scorned. "He wants us to believe that normal people – and/or people from Satellite – can be trusted after all that's happened to us?"

"Maybe what he's saying is that while we've had rough times, not _every_ single person out there is the same" Haruki assumed, leaning forward slightly.

"Listen to yourself" Liquid snorted, rolling his eyes. "Didn't you hear all those people taunting Izayoi-san when she duelled him? They chose some Satellite punk over a Psychic Duellist; that's how extreme their views of us are. They're rather people forbidden in Neo-Domino over a home-grown Psychic".

"It's a bit harsh" Okita mumbled. "But maybe they were just scared; maybe they just wanted him to win so that Izayoi-san's feelings wouldn't be pushed into the tournament anymore".

"Cowards. All of them, if that's the case" Liquid snapped, turning his back on the pair.

"You're awfully into this, Liquid" Haruki commented uneasily. "Why are you being so protective of Izayoi-san suddenly?"

Liquid sighed, dropping his arms and turned to the pair, watching them over his shoulder. "It's not just Izayoi-san, it's-"

The door slid open, drawing all six eyes in the room to the noise. There they found Rena standing, her head hanging slightly and dark circles under her eyes. Haruki leaned forward, her hair swaying either side of her smiling chin.

"Rena, you're back" she called gleefully.

"Yeah" Rena mumbled dully. "Sorry guys, but I'm a bit tired. I'm going to rest for a bit, okay?"

Haruki's smile flickered, fading as she watched Rena pace across the room and to the bed opposite Liquid's. The redhead fell onto the sheets and crawled across, laying her head onto the pillow and closing her eyes, soundly asleep within seconds. Haruki frowned, locking eyes with an uneasy Okita, who also mutely questioned what had just happened. Liquid shook his head, rewinding to moments earlier.

"Forget it. It was stupid, we should go see how Izayoi-san's doing" he blurted.

"Liquid, something's wrong" Haruki protested, gripping the edge of Okita's sheet with her nails and digging them into the corner of the mattress. "I want to know why today was so personal, why it struck some kind of exposed nerve".

"It's not Izayoi-san and Fudo Yusei that's gotten to me" Liquid sighed. "It's just that… _my_ powers were uncovered at a tournament. That's when I first tapped into them. People around me were aware of Psychics because of names like the Arcadia Movement and they began to taunt me, telling me to go somewhere where freaks were welcome and leave them alone. They didn't want to get hurt because they were scared I'd let my powers run free; the instant I realised I was a Psychic Duellist, my chances of a life outside these walls ended".

"Liquid…" Haruki breathed wistfully.

"I remember you touching upon that story one time" Okita mumbled. "I'm sorry you had such a rough time afterwards".

"Like I said, it's nothing" Liquid sighed, gazing out the window. "It's all in the past, just like everything else. Like every_one_ else that's outside these walls. We can't be friends with people who claim they're 'normal', they won't trust us anymore. Psychics and non-Psychics just weren't meant to cross paths".

Haruki and Okita exchanged equally mournful looks, their hearts heavy over Liquid's theory over the chances of relationships across the divide. On her bed, Liquid's words crawled into Rena's ears and into her brain as she drifted into a world of her own, bringing up Carly. The girl smiled and spoke without words, holding up her camera. Liquid was wrong – it _was_ possible. Even though they stood together for a handful of minutes, there was already a feeling between the two; like a bond of friendship. Even though they may never meet again, something existed, and it would.

* * *

Divine watched over Aki as she laid on a small pod-like bed, similar to the one Rena had been in whilst her vitals were monitored. Seria stood over Divine's shoulder, watching the young woman anxiously. Like before, her left hand was clamped over her right forearm – beneath the fabric of the black glove, an ancient symbol had been uncovered for all the public to see. That was, if they weren't too busy hurling every name under the sun at the poor girl.

Divine frowned, Aki wasn't one for weakness, but since he had arrived at the building a short while beforehand, she had seemed nothing but frail. Constantly, she clutched her arm and whispered pieces of words and sentences – more often than not, Fudo Yusei came up. The boy had certainly impacted on Aki, and far from any way Divine would have liked. Godwin had invited them into the tournament, and although Aki was out and home, she was mentally damaged. Godwin may not have captured her, but he had inflicted an injury that not even Divine would be able to heal easily with kind words and a gentle smile.

He leaned forward, laying his hand onto Aki's cleared forehead, her fringe had been wrapped around the metallic device that held her powers' full potential back, a precaution created by the man himself.

"Aki, it's alright" he whispered soothingly. "I'm here".

"Div… Divine" Aki's voice came in the form of a shaken whisper. "You're still here".

"Yes, and I shall stay unless you want me to leave" the man answered with a warm smile. "Would you like some time alone, Aki? To rest and clear your head?"

"N- No… I want you here with me, Divine" Aki calmly begged. "I want you to make it all stop, make it all go away. I don't care about this wretched mark or about those people who want me to be their friend. I… I don't belong in that world".

Her face was screwed in agony as she spoke, tears growing at the edges of each eye, restricted by her eyelashes. Her fingers tightened around the arm, nails threatening to tear the fabric apart and sink deep into the crimson markings emblazoned on her limb. She was more than prepared to rid herself of the mark once and for all. Divine was on his knees by her side, his left hand stroking her head.

"It's alright. It's alright" he hushed gently. "You don't need to worry about them, Arcadia is here; you're home now. No-one can reach you or hurt you, I promise".

Aki's eyes opened gently, setting them on Divine pleadingly – she depended on him. Arcadia was her world; _he_ was her world – the only person that could truly protect him. Seria watched from the corner, unattached to the scene, Aki only trusted Divine completely. Only he was allowed to shield her heart in a special way. The tears began to shrink, retreating into Aki's eyes as she gazed at the man like a lost child, desperate for someone to take care of her, to give her somewhere to live until the storm past. The never-ending storm of her life.

"You really promise?"

"I really promise" Divine smiled gently again, moving his face closer to hers. "Once you're feeling better, I'd like to see if you can still duel. I fear that Fudo Yusei may have tampered with your powers when he confused you, trying to lead you astray, and _away_ from Arcadia".

"I will never leave Arcadia" Aki whispered, grabbing Divine's hand. "Not for Yusei, not for anyone. This is where I belong; with you and everyone else".

Divine tilted his head slightly, pleased by her reaction to his words. Pleased by her loyalty to Arcadia; there was nowhere else but street alleys and shadows for the Black Rose Witch, after all. He continued to stroke her head gently, not hard enough to undo the work on her hair after the testing duel.

"That's why I'd like to see if your powers have been affected by the emotional strain of the tournament" he whispered. "I'm sure you're as powerful as ever, Aki. I just care for you; I want to ensure you're alright".

A weak and subtle smile crossed Aki's face, her eyes softened from fear and sorrow to gratitude. "Divine…" She was safe here.

* * *

**-**  
Arcadia **~ PREVIEW ~ **Arcadia

_Divine: Aki, you have to focus._

_Aki: I will… I will overcome everything._

_Haruki: Izayoi-san's been pretty upset since the Fortune Cup, but no-one seems to be able to find out what's going on. If only someone could help._

_Rena: You're carrying heavy burden in your heart? Izayoi-san…_

_Aki: Next, Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – Reverse of Arcadia, "Power of the Black Rose Witch! Appear Now, Black Rose Dragon". I won't disappoint Divine again._


	4. Power of the Black Rose Witch!

**Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – Reverse of Arcadia**

by Yusei

_**Summary -**__ "__As a member of Arcadia, Rena begins to learn of the organization's secrets as a war begins to unfold. The present and the past begin to clash, unleashing a future of doubt as the Signers rise up to battle the darkness__"._

_**Disclaimer - **__I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of the characters._

_**A/N – **__Four-day weekend ftw. This has been half-done for some time and there wasn't a day where it could really be finished, forgive the long wait for this, especially after the ridicously duel during the last two chapters, it seems both World Championship fics have that problem. __I'd like to say that the duel in this chapter did happen; this was duel largely follows the one between myself and Aki early on in the game. I'd like to thank mwaetht for pointing out the error, hopefully it's been fixed and works now. After the duel here, it's obvious what the outcome was, so I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please read and review._

* * *

**Haruki / Rena -****「****Neo-Domino****」****- Duel Stadium**

The sun had long crept up from the border of the planet when Haruki opened the door to Rena, Okita and Liquid's room. She watched the still room with cautious eyes, saying nothing until she found Rena in the corner bed, alone. The girl sat with crossed legs, cards laid out in front of her on the level bed, cards tilted on the small creases in the thick sheet. Smiling, Haruki entered more comfortably and moved to the end of the bed, where her swinging robe caught Rena's eye.

The redheaded girl looked up at the brunette, seeing a lilac band wrapped around the girl's head, falling behind her chestnut head. The small collection of cards in her hand felt to the back of her mind and she smiled up at her friend.

"Haruki, is everything alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, of course" Haruki giggled. "Hey, I heard something interesting's going on in one of the higher classes"

"Huh, what's happening?" Rena inquired, tilting her head.

"Seria-san claimed that Izayoi-san was going to duel with some of the students to see how far their powers have come from when they were in our class" Haruki answered with a bright face, leaning forward so loose hairs fell over her neck. "Don't you want to come and see how strong she is? The Fortune Cup means nothing, that Satellite guy got lucky".

"I don't know" Rena murmured. "He _did_ beat Jack Atlus as well; maybe he's got some real skill. Just because someone's from Satellite doesn't meant they can't be good at Duel Monsters".

"Maybe, but I'm not convinced" Haruki pouted, puffing her cheeks at the idea of her friend falling for the missing result. "Isn't it convenient that that strange light engulfed the Stadium as the final moves were played out? That hid any proof of Jack losing".

"The scoreboard seemed to agree with a result" Rena answered.

"Anything could have happened" Haruki sighed, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm sure that Satellite guy had someone to tamper with the controls".

"Not _everyone_ from Satellite has to be a criminal, do they?" Rena protested uneasily.

"Probably not, but that's the idea that the Director gives" Haruki replied.

"I bet he's never even been to Satellite and seen what it's really like" Rena scowled, leaning back and turning her head away.

"Probably not" Haruki answered with shrugged shoulders. "But still, don't you want to see what Izayoi-san can really pull off?"

Rena looked back and smiled at the brunette, collecting her cards and stood on the side of the bed. She laid the cards into the Duel Disk beside her feet and slid the device underneath the bed, where she had originally found it. Haruki smirked at her, a look mirrored in Rena's face.

"Took you long enough" the brunette gave a hearty chortle.

* * *

-遊戯王5D's-

Arcadia **~ Chapter 4 – Power of the Black Rose Witch! Appear Now, Black Rose Dragon ~ **Arcadia

**Okita / Liquid / Rena -****「****Neo-Domino****」****- Duel Stadium**

Haruki and Rena had watched in awe as Izayoi Aki ripped apart the forces of her opponents, summoning her signature Black Rose Dragon that had fallen in the Fortune Cup tournament with ease every time and striking down anyone who opposed her creature. No-one stood a chance; it was all proof that she was the crown jewel of Arcadia.

After the duels had come and Divine had escorted Aki away from the training ground, Haruki and Rena made their way back towards the living quarters, ignoring those that walked briskly past them.

"It's strange, Izayoi-san seems different" Haruki sighed, gripping her chin.

"Perhaps she'll still tired after what happened at the tournament" Rena suggested.

"I don't think so, her powers seem stronger than normal. But she seems to be upset over something" Haruki answered. "She's probably blaming herself for not getting further, or that she lost to an unknown from Satellite. It's not the impression she was hoping to set about Arcadia".

"You mean she'll think we're weak because she lost to that guy?" Rena asked. "But they all saw what she was capable of before then. And even while she was duelling him, she put up a tough fight – he was all battered and bruised after all".

"That's why people fear us" Haruki sighed, looking down to the floor. "We're not all like Izayoi-san, but she still seems to feel the need to fight for us all. She should focus on herself; I don't want her feeling bad because she had a heavy burden on her shoulders at the tournament".

* * *

Having heard the conversation through the CCTV cameras set up in the corner of the ceiling, Divine turned to Aki with a soft smile. She, on the other hand, seemed withdrawn and distant. He crossed the short distance between them, where he laid his hands onto her shoulders and brought her wavering auburn eyes to his.

"You see, Aki? They still love you, you're an idol to them" he whispered encouragingly.

"But… they know I'm not myself" Aki sighed. "I failed you, Divine. I failed you and Arcadia".

"That doesn't' matter though, Aki" Divine insisted.

"That's the only reason I went to that stupid tournament" Aki mumbled. "I failed".

Divine frowned; he had come to the conclusion that the emotional strain from her duel with Yusei was still taking its toll. Her appearance during the training session had been to test that her powers were still stable; they worked – they were stronger than they had been for a long time – but they were uncontrollable, even to him. Aki had never truly grabbed the reigns of her powers, now even he was struggling to keep a grip. Something was wrong with her, but he had yet to learn exactly what. He cast his eyes onto the monitor showing Haruki and Rena, smiling and talking whilst they walked after the others; free to go wherever they wanted. A thin smirk grew over his face.

"Aki, I have an idea" he uttered. "Why not duel this one in private?"

"In private?" Aki echoed, puzzled by the proposal.

"Yes. You see, she's the newest member of Arcadia, and she seems to be struggling to truly get a hold of her powers. Sort of like you when you joined" he answered. "She has a lot of potential, she could become stronger, not as strong as you, but much stronger than most of her friends".

"She's just joined, but you want to push her powers to see just how much they can take?" Aki summarised. She watched the strolling pair through the screen; she had been isolated before joining the movement, she had been alone and scared, hiding behind a mask and living in black alleys. She had no-one to turn to until Divine appeared and smiled through the porcelain face; this time, things could be different. "Okay, then. I shall help her".

Divine's smile grew in strength; with the duel, he could kill two birds with one stone.

* * *

Liquid, Okita, Haruki and Rena were seated in a large chamber that doubled as a canteen. A few others sat at other tables, speaking to their friends or reading novels that fascinated them. Rena clutched the card mug in front of her, nursing a steaming hot chocolate; Haruki beside her had a plastic bottle filled with orange juice and the males opposite sat behind coffees. Okita smiled as he told the story of two of his peers trying to pull a prank on the others, planting a stink bomb in the toilets for the sake of lost school days at the Duel Academy, only for it to explode whilst they were still in the stall, bringing out laughter from his three friends.

"Even if it worked, Seria-san would have come down on them like a ton of bricks" Liquid chuckled. "They got off easy in that respect".

"I heard Seria-san can be really scary when she gets pissed" Haruki added. "I don't even want to imagine how red her face would have been if they managed to pull it off".

"I'll drink to that" Okita laughed.

Rena smiled at each of her friends, glad she had been able to meet with them after being introduced to the Arcadia Movement; she felt grateful to each. Her eyes fell to the steaming drink between her hands, wondering why she had forgotten about the past, knowing Divine's version of events that she pleaded to have memories overridden to forget the horrific experiences she endured, but found herself more curious to learn what had happened to her. She was lost in her own world, contemplating the past, staring into the clearing foam on top when a voice broken through.

"Rena?"

Her head shot up, finding all three faces on her. She smiled sheepishly and pressed her hand against the back of her head, embarrassed to have been caught out daydreaming whilst her friends laughed together.

"Is something the matter?" Okita inquired.

"No, I'm okay. I was just thinking about something" the redhead answered with the same smile.

Liquid said nothing, but sipped his coffee and watched the others over the brim of his cup. Beyond Haruki's shoulder, he watched as Divine and Aki entered the large setting, their mouths closed and their eyes scanning the room. He sucked in more coffee and gulped, feeling the burning liquid scorch his throat. He pressed the cup back down onto the varnished wooden table and took a few deep breaths to sooth his tender throat. Okita, Haruki and Rena all watched him curiously, watching him wince and clench his fists clench tighter to deal with the pain.

"Liquid, are you alright?" Okita asked, laying a hand onto his friend's back.

"I- I'm fine" Liquid gasped. He pointed over Haruki's shoulder and to where Divine and Aki stood, now fixed on their table.

The three turned in their direction, also surprised to find the pair standing where there were few Psychics that could be of any use to them at the time. They watched as Divine muttered something to Aki and then led her in their direction. Liquid searched the canteen for anyone else they could be heading towards, but found no-one else near them, but scattered across other tables, also watching the approach. The two came to a halt beside the edge of the table, towering over Rena and Liquid, who gazed up at them.

"Divine sir, Izayoi-san, is something the matter?" Liquid asked shakily.

"Nothing is wrong, I merely wished to speak with Rena for a moment" Divine answered, looking down to the redhead.

Rena's head sank between her shoulders and she looked to the others. "I'll be right back guys, I should see what Divine wants to speak with me about".

She climbed up from the curved wooden chair and stood before the superiors, failing in standing as tall as either, she found herself centimetres shorter than Aki. The two led her to the edge of the canteen and stopped beside the orange wall, the eyes of other Psychics were trained onto them – Liquid, Okita and Haruki among the stares.

"Is there something I can help you with, Divine?" Rena asked.

"Rena, you're the newest member of Arcadia, and you seem to be suffering the same difficulty that Aki faced when she joined" Divine claimed with a gentle smile. "I thought it would be best if you were to duel each other; Aki could help you unlock the powers that you're holding back. I know what you went through before was unpleasant and that subconsciously you're hiding those powers, but you've got to let them run free and show you have worth. Prove those people who taunted you wrong".

Rena frowned vaguely; Divine knew more about her past than she did, she didn't know anything of taunts and hateful faces, of vicious words and violent wishes. Her eyes softened and narrowed, sinking deeper into despair over the past that she had lost willingly. A hand fell onto her shoulder; she looked up to Divine, but found his arms both hanging by his side, which drew her to Aki.

"It's hard, but you will fight back and become stronger" the experienced girl whispered.

"Izayoi-san…" Rena breathed. "But what about if I was to find someone who can fight back? Like you did with that guy at the Fortune Cup?"

Aki flinched and her fingers tightened, pressing nails against the fabric of the Arcadia cloak over Rena's shoulder. The younger girl winced at the change in grip and looked back to Aki, her face was losing colour gradually and her eyes flared with emotions between fury and regret.

"Izayoi-san?" Rena echoed.

"Aki, I told you already, you should stop blaming yourself for what happened at the Fortune Cup" Divine hushed, grabbing both of Aki's shoulders and leaning over to bring his lips close to her ear. "It's alright, you need to keep calm".

"What's the matter?" Rena asked, unnerved by the change in Aki's face.

"Aki has been disheartened by her elimination from the tournament and claims that not being able to reach Jack Atlus means she's failed Arcadia" Divine sighed. "No matter what I tell her, she seems to stand by that".

Aki's body moved again and her arm fell. She heaved for air, taking in deeper breaths than normal, like Divine's voice had been a key to unlock her shutdown lungs. Colour returned to her face and she looked back up, somewhat regretfully at Rena.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me" she muttered.

"It's alright, Izayoi-san" Rena answered. "Nobody believes you let down Arcadia, we're all proud of you for doing so well, enough to be recognised by the Director as a participant for the tournament. How you did means nothing, you proved that you have a lot of power and skill, more than anyone else here".

Divine signalled Aki's eyes with a nod. Aki smiled faintly at the girl, a sign of gratitude for her kind words. Rena smiled back and looked to Divine.

"Okay, I'll duel Izayoi-san" she stated.

A grin came to Divine's face and he stepped forward. "I'm glad you've agreed; with this duel, you should be able to tap into the Psychic powers you've been holding back. Then we can begin to see how much control you have over them".

"Yes sir" Rena replied.

"I'll have Seria come and fetch you later, for now, you have other things to get on with" Divine added, looking up to the three watching the distant trio from the table.

"The others" Rena commented, looking over her shoulder when she was reminded of their watchful eyes.

"You should spend the rest of the day with them. Seria will come some time in the evening after dusk" Divine suggested. "I'd also appreciate you not telling anyone else about this; it may draw unwanted attention from the others. It's rare that Aki duels students, especially younger duellists such as yourself, it may cause a stir and bring people to watch. Spectators are the last thing we need; this duel will be about you two".

"I understand" Rena replied with a nod.

"Alright then, we'll see you tonight" Divine stated with a smile, patting the top of Rena's head.

A twinge of jealously flashed in Aki's eyes as she watched the brief petting. Rena turned and moved back towards Liquid, Okita and Haruki, leaving Divine to lead the Fortune Cup participant out of the canteen and towards their private quarters. Rena seated herself beside Haruki, aware of the three stares through her closed eyes. She leaned back to straighten herself and caught a glimpse of the three.

"What was that all about?" Okita asked curiously.

"Perhaps it's regarding your returning late from the Fortune Cup and just going straight to sleep" Liquid mumbled. "I was beginning to wonder if you would be fit for a big operation like that, seems like I wasn't wrong to be concerned".

"It was nothing to do with that" Rena protested calmly, twitching her eyes with irritation. "I stayed at the Fortune Cup not by choice, but I managed to catch the final match; it was certainly interesting to see what people outside this place get up to".

"What are you talking about?" Haruki asked.

"A massive dragon appeared; it looked almost like it was made of red energy" Rena replied. "Gusts suddenly started whipping about and a flash came from it. When the light faded, the match was over. I know you guys wouldn't have seen it because the convoy was scheduled to leave at the time the match happened".

"Sounds weird" Haruki scowled. "They mock and fear us, but then summon out some dragon that has the same effect as our powers. Jerkoffs".

"I don't know if they _did_ summon it" Rena responded, leaning forward slightly.

"Huh? What are you on about? You just said that it appeared" Liquid asked suspiciously.

"What I mean is that everyone seemed shocked when it appeared; like they hadn't seen it or expected it" Rena explained. "I don't think it was supposed to show up, but somehow, it did. Something strange is happening".

"Don't kick up a storm about it though, the Fortune Cup seems to be something people aren't interested in because a guy from Satellite won" Liquid sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "You may as well move on like the rest of us".

Rena frowned and tilted her head downwards, thinking that it was possible Liquid was right. There was still so much about the tournament that bothered her; the dragon, how a Satellite man had won over Aki, Carly and what she was up to. She gazed down at the hot chocolate without a thin layer of foam floating on top, seeing her reflection stare back.

* * *

In the bedroom, Rena pulled the Duel Disk she had sitting on her bed before out from beneath the veil. Haruki stood in the doorway, watching as the girl prepared. She moved deeper into the room, otherwise empty with the absence of Liquid and Okita, Haruki frowned when she noticed Rena was attaching the Duel Disk to her wrist.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Rena turned to Haruki, smiling innocently whilst sliding her cards into the deck slot of the machine clamped to her. "Divine said he's going to help me reach my powers. He said that after I came here, something happened that made me seal my powers inside, so that they won't work properly. Divine offered to help me tonight, he told me to bring my Duel Disk and cards so we could see what I could do with them".

"That's strange" Haruki mumbled, gripping her chin curiously. "So that's what you were talking about with Divine and Izayoi-san".

"Just don't tell the others, Divine wants this to stay secret" Rena pleaded. "I think that right now, I only border as a Psychic Duellist; someone that can't even use their powers".

"No, that's not true at all" Haruki answered, shaking her head. "You have the powers inside of you, just because you can't use them yet, it doesn't mean you're not a Psychic. Most people can't use or control them the majority of the time when they arrive here. I suppose it's because you're the newest member of Arcadia right now that Divine is focused on you".

Rena nodded with a smile, relieved that she was capable of confiding in Haruki. A knock came from the door, drawing the attention of both girls. The door creaked open and Seria's head slipped in with a warm smile.

"Rena, Divine sent me to get you" she confirmed.

"Alright, I'm coming" Rena answered. She cast a glance at Haruki, smiling optimistically still. "If I don't get back in a while, then I'll catch up with you in the morning".

"Okay then" Haruki uttered with a nod.

Rena strode across the room, crossing from Haruki to Seria and followed the elder Psychic out of the room. Left alone, Haruki frowned, feeling a sense of isolation around her, she wanted to know exactly what had shut down Rena's powers and why, but she had to sit on the outside and look inwards, hope that the session with Divine would succeed. Until then, she had nothing more to do than wait.

Rena followed Seria through the corridors that had led her to the bedroom when she first moved from the laboratory to the living quarters. She observed the details left behind during their last voyage through the level of the building. The peach corridors fell behind, replaced by sterile metal cobalt, dropping the temperature of the air and Rena's blood. The uncertainty over her history crept up her spine and the memory of waking up in the cold place warmed only by buzzing monitors came back.

"Seria-san?" she asked.

"Don't worry, this is just a route Divine asked us to take to avoid the others catching on" Seria stated without looking back at the girl. "Izayoi-san is that important to people here, and it's not often that people other than those in the higher ranks get to go to Divine's office".

"That's where we're going?" Rena asked.

Seria paused in front of two steel doors and pushed the tip of her finger against a small button depicting an arrow pointing towards the roof of the building. The doors opened, granting the two passage to the box. Once they stood in the centre, they began to close, shutting them away from the outside world. The lift began to move, climbing up the layers of the tower across the space of a minute and stopped gently. Once again, the now chestnut passage was opened up before them and Seria was first to step out, leading Rena in the opposite direction and along the new corridors.

A series of turns brought them before two oaken doors, Seria paused in the centre and tapped the divide with her knuckles. Rena stood behind her silently, watching the door handles gleaming under the lights fixed over their heads.

"Divine, sir, it's Seria" the elder woman called.

The door opened towards them, forcing both females to retreat a few steps. Divine's smiling face appeared, still the eyes with a professional shine to them unlike those he had given earlier.

"I see, you've come as I hoped" he uttered calmly. "Come in, Aki is waiting for us".

Seria bowed and permitted Rena to cross the corridor, the girl did so and paused in front of Divine, looking back at the higher rank woman, her eyes sealed closed in respect for the man in front of her.

"Isn't Seria-san coming?" she asked anxiously.

"Seria has other maters to attend to, I'm afraid" Divine answered. "But I'll make sure she comes back once you and Aki are finished. Is that alright?"

"Uh… yeah" Rena sounded, adding a nod onto the end of her reply.

Divine opened his arm to grant her access, giving her room to enter the large office. She gazed in awe at the chamber, marble statues of figures stood in front of pillars fixed into the walls, a simple bookcase fitted between two near the large picture window, reaching from floor to the ceiling, and a subtle des in front of glass barrier. By the box, Aki stood with her pink Duel Disk attached to her left arm, watching the pair patiently.

"Izayoi-san" Rena exhaled.

"Aki has been eager to help you" Divine claimed, standing by Rena's side, the door creaked closed behind them. "I know this may seem a bit intimidating, but Aki is here to help you, if her powers bring any harm to you, just say so".

"O- okay" Rena gulped.

She crossed the chamber and stood in front of Aki, her face showing all uncertainty to the arrangement clearly for the experienced Psychic to see. She smiled at the apprentice.

"It'll be okay, I'll limit my powers so nothing happens" she assured.

"Thank you, Izayoi-san" Rena mumbled.

"Aki, Rena, you should face each other horizontally, I'd rather there not be any risk of the window breaking and someone taking a nasty tumble" Divine called, interrupting their brief conversation.

Aki nodded and moved towards the bookcase, Rena aligning herself opposite and in front of the marble statue opposite, a large base beneath the sculpture waited behind her.

"I'll let you move first, Rena" Aki called across the room.

Both girls activated their Duel Disks, a brief flicker of light coming from the machines and a lively whir to announce their awakening. The two drew five cards from their decks and held them in their left hand, watching each other throughout the procedure.

"Duel!"

**DUEL START**

**AKI - RENA  
****4000 - LP - 4000**

**FIRST TURN – RENA**

"Okay, draw" Rena called, removing a sixth card from her deck. She turned it around, smiling at the text across the box beneath the card's artwork. "I summon Mystic Tomato **[ATK 1400]** in attack mode".

She threw down the card, summoning a sparkling blue vortex. Through it, a giant version of the fruit bounced through, sporting a large open mouth with jagged teeth. A purple tongue waved from the demented mouth, yellow eyes with blood pupils leapt from one spot to another with a large nose between them. On top of the simple body, the green stem that would normally connect it to the plant of its birth wagged sharply.

"I also set a card face-down" Rena added, sliding the card into the lower compartment of her Duel Disk. "Turn end".

**SECOND TURN – AKI**

"It's my turn; draw" Aki bellowed, tearing the top card of her deck away from the others. "I activate Fragrance Storm, which will destroy your Mystic Tomato. And since it isn't destroyed through battle, its effect won't activate".

Gales blew swept across the field from the Magic card's hologram, tearing apart the fruit on Rena's field. The winds howled wildly, like a real storm was taking place inside the large chamber, Rena groaned as she held up her right arm to shield her eyes. Her hair and uniform flapped uncontrollably as a result of the winds, but neither Aki nor Divine seemed surprised about the power. The gales died slowly, what Rena could see afterwards was an expressionless Aki and an intrigued Divine standing in the corner of the battle.

"Fragrance Storm also lets me draw a card – if it's a Plant monster, I can draw a second" Aki stated, removing the top card of her deck. She didn't draw a second, but inserted the card into her hand and retrieved another. "I summon Twilight Rose Knight **[ATK 1000]** to the field".

A miniature whirlwind began; the entrance for the black and violet armoured knight. Ice blue hair hung either side of its face and over its forehead, pressed down by a helm resembling an upside-down 'T'. A white cape hung from the broad shoulder plates, matching the body suit underneath the armour, revealing through the waist, thighs and just above the elbows. The bottom half of the armour hung like wilting petals; one covering the crotch and hanging solely, the other stretching across the back and around the sides of the legs, matching boots could be seen sticking out as it stretched its legs. A small sword was its choice of weapon, gleaming when it waved slowly under the creeping moonlight; the main source of light above the nightlights of Neo-Domino.

"A Tuner…" Rena exhaled anxiously.

"Twilight Rose Knight's effect allows me to Special Summon a Plant-type monster when it's summoned" Aki stated without any sign of feeling. "I summon Gigantic Cephalotus **[ATK 1850]**".

Beside the knight, a two-legged plant rose, made of a body and leaves for legs and feet. From the back of its head, a long orange stem hung like a tail inserted in the wrong place, across the body underneath, there were pink markings, matching the jaws hanging on the outside of this mouth. That mouth quickly opened and it began to snap wildly, showing its plain orange mouth and tongue, Rena flinched at the savage creature.

"Uh oh, now she has a total of seven stars" Rena gasped, drops of sweat building across her forehead. "That means she can Synchro Summon her ace!"

"You're correct" Aki mumbled. She threw up her right arm and stretched her fingers. "I'm tuning my Level 3 Twilight Rose Knight with my Level 4 Gigantic Cephalotus!"

The knight relinquished it body, three stars dancing the sky and joined, birthing three green rings. They descended over the beast-plant, finding the four stars within it and snatching them. They played for a few seconds as Aki chanted and lined up.

"_Tsumetai honoo ga sekai no subete wo tsutsumikomu. Shikkoku no hana yo, hirake! Shinkuro Shoukan! Arawareyo, __**Burakku Rōzu Doragon**__!_ **[ATK 2400]**" **[1]**

A pillar of light exploded from the process of tuning and from it, the large dark dragon with immense rose petals across its body in the form of wings and decorations that Rena had seen from Aki's duel in the Fortune Cup was reborn. The beast hissed viciously, saliva laced around its tongue. A shudder ran down Rena, staring at the beast for the first time in person, she could feel the emotions weighing her down. Was this how the boy at the Fortune Cup and others felt as they faced the deadly creature?

"So that's it… the majestic Black Rose Dragon" she breathed with a tight throat. "It's beautiful, but, it feels like there's so much anger".

Underneath the dragon, Aki's eyes sharpened while she watched girl analyse her dragon, gazing at it with a mixture of awe and terror. Her hand twitched, it was rare that she'd summon Black Rose against a fellow Psychic. She felt naked without the Black Rose Witch mask; that which would shield her face; there were even fewer occasions when she would summon the legendary dragon without the mask to hide her face. But after the damage done to it at the Fortune Cup, it was going to be a long time before she could wear a mask again; be it a repaired version of the lost face or a mere replacement.

"Black Rose Dragon, direct attack!" she hollered, pointing at Rena. The girl flinched and dropped her face to the irked Psychic opposite with a face of shock. "_Black Rose Flare!_"

Rena lifted her arms in an instant, terrified by the power behind the purple mist. The force slammed into her, easily throwing her back across the room and onto the ground at the base of the statue behind her. Her body shuddered as she struggled to pull herself together, her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Divine smirked at the move and how Aki's powers had been proven unaffected, at least now, after her duel at the tournament.

**AKI - RENA  
****4000 - LP - 1600**

Rena took a moment to push her upper half from the floor, laying on her stomach and pushed up by her forearms. She looked up at Aki, finding a wicked smile painted onto the superior Psychic's face; the sight of it sent a chill running down her spine.

"Izayoi-san?" she uttered fearfully.

Aki didn't answer, her face didn't change; she was lost in herself for the moment. Rena shakily pushed herself to her feet, panting after the heavy blow that sent her so far back. She staggered to the spot in which she had been standing. On the edge of the battlefield, Divine continued to watch with folded arms and a subtle smirk; this was what he wanted – to push any potential of his subject and to test the effectiveness of Aki's Psychic powers.

"I end my turn" Aki stated breathlessly.

Rena lifted her head, she was back. The girl took a step forward, her brows creased uneasily as she tried to assess just what state of mind Aki was in, as well as where she was likely to end up after the duel if she was to keep using those powers.

"Izayoi-san, are you… are you _enjoying_ this?" she asked.

Aki's face broke into one of horror, disgust at the mere suggestion that she was enjoying the torment of someone else. She shook her head and glared hatefully at the girl. In her place, she could see the black haired man from the Fortune Cup, that Satellite King she knew as Fudo Yusei.

"Stop spouting lies!" she snapped. "I would never enjoy the suffering of someone else, especially when they're a Psychic that's been abused like me".

Rena frowned and looked down to the deck given to her by Arcadia, hoping it could offer a barrier against Black Rose Dragon. She pressed the tips of her fore and middle fingers onto the top card and pulled it away.

**THIRD TURN – RENA**

"It's my turn. Draw!" she called. She set her eyes onto the card she had drawn and smiled; thrilled to have such a useful card in her possession and at a crucial time. But there was still that unsettled feeling inside of her, about taking the brain of another being and bending it to her will, she brought the card back from arm's length and gazed at it for a moment.

The delay only served to irk Aki, and to disappoint Divine, who frowned from his spot on the edge, a mere outsider to the clash, but still holding the strings of each duellist. He was about to speak up, to question Rena over why she was hesitating, when she pushed the card into the Duel Disk.

"I activate Change of Heart" she called. "This lets me take control of your Black Rose Dragon for this turn".

"Black Rose Dragon!" Aki gasped, looking up at the beast hovering over her head.

The dragon vanished from her side of the field and appeared on Rena's; the inexperienced member didn't smile with revenge or sympathy in mind, but looked across the field sternly. Something was wrong with Aki and she was hoping to uncover exactly what. She pulled another card from her deck, slapping it down onto the slot next to the Black Rose in the central slot.

"I summon Sangan **[ATK 1000]**" she added in an equally firm and louder tone.

On the field in front of her, a small fiend with titian hairs darker than Rena's covering its body, two arms and legs of green came out from the hairy body with grey claws. Three yellow eyes with cat-slit pupils blinked at different seconds above the smiling mouth with jagged white teeth. Divine's smirk deepened; now he could see if any power had been wakened in Rena, even if she wasn't a true Psychic, there was still the possibility.

"Sangan, direct attack" she shouted, pointing to the defenceless Aki.

The creature bounced across the field and lunged at the vulnerable girl with its grey claws and demonic teeth. Aki gasped with disgust as the creature soared in her direction, biting down on her Duel Disk. There was nothing that came from the blow.

**AKI - RENA  
****3000 - LP - 1600**

Aki waved her arm, throwing off the small creature. The beast hissed and bounced back to Rena's side of the field, underneath the superior Synchro dragon that had been stolen from her. That fact alone burned inside of her, just waiting to exact revenge for snatching a card that meant so much to her. Rena pointed in her direction once more, her eyes blazing with determination.

"Black Rose Dragon, direct attack!" she yelled. "Black Rose Flare!"

The dragon's jaws snapped opened and its head flew back. Aki braced herself, holding up her Duel Disk in front of her as a barrier and her right arm behind that. It was then that she could feel the latter arm throbbing, she clenched her jaws and glared down at the limb for a split-second, more focused on the imminent attack. The dragon flung its head forward, unleashing another stream of purple mist. The mass struck Aki, who found herself also struggling to deal with the strength of the impact. She, too, was thrown back, but a much shorter distance. A cry came from her as she hit the ground, lying on her back, Divine's arms tore apart and his face changed altogether; he looked stunned, disbelieving what he had just witnessed. Not only was Aki downed, but it seemed that he may have been onto something.

Rena said and did nothing but watched, she knew that the instant she ended her turn, Aki would regain control of her dragon and more than likely, she was going to tear apart her Sangan and lifepoints with it in a fit of unstoppable rage. But for now, she had a moment to brace herself; she had more lifepoints than Aki, she was the one standing.

**AKI - RENA  
****600 - LP - 1600**

Aki picked herself up, struggling and wincing after the blow dealt to her; this was the pain that she inflicted on people. She pressed her right hand against her left shoulder, having struck it against the floorboards. Divine was ready to help her, but stayed in his place; he had to remain. Aki's face was twitching, but in her half-open right eye, there was a bitter chilling feel – 'pissed' didn't even come close to the fury building inside of her.

"Turn end" Rena stated, with slackened arms hanging either side of her.

"I'll show you to turn a treasured card against someone" Aki hissed. "I'll make Black Rose Dragon a monument to your sin".

Rena merely watched Aki with the same harsh eyes, determined not to allow fear to seep through and expose itself for Aki to see. Black Rose Dragon vanished from her field and returned to Aki's; where it belonged.

**FOURTH TURN – AKI**

"It's my turn. Draw!" Aki spat, tearing the card from her deck and placing it in her hand immediately. What she was after was vengeance.

"Black Rose Dragon, attack Sangan!" she yelled, pointing at the lonesome creature. "Black Rose Flare!"

The dragon unleashed a third stream of purple, swallowing the guilty fiend and smashing it out of action. Rena groaned as winds rushed past, ruffling her hair and styling it roughly. She lowered her arms, glaring at Aki, who was grinning madly, her eyes wide to match the psychotic air about her.

**AKI – RENA  
****600 – LP – 200**

"Since Sangan was sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can draw a monster with less than 1500 attack points and add it to my hand" she called. A card slid out from near the top of the deck, gripped between her fore and middle finger. She pulled it from the stack without touching the other cards and showed it to Aki. "I choose Genex Turbine **[ATK 1400]**".

Aki narrowed her eyes at the card, but did nothing more than slide two cards into her Duel Disk. She exhaled heavily and declared her turn over with a sharp glare towards her opponent.

**FIFTH TURN – RENA**

"Draw!" the redhead called, keeping her eyes fixed on her rattled opponent. "I don't know what's happened to you, Izayoi-san, but I want to help. Maybe you're carrying around a heavy burden after everything that happened at the Fortune Cup, but I'm sure this isn't like you, to take it out on other Psychics, I thought you were all for protecting Psychic Duellists".

"I am, don't twist things!" Aki snapped, slicing the air with her right arm.

"Then you can't be yourself right now" Rena murmured in response. "But I'll help you out by stopping this rampage. I summon Genex Turbine in attack mode".

The green Genex machine that resembled a small tunnel with various components lighting and protruding from its cylindered body emerged onto the field, hovering above the ground.

"Genex Turbine's monster effect; it increases the attack points of all Genex monster by 400 points".

"That thing still isn't strong enough, you're just putting yourself in danger of losing" Aki snarled.

"Not quite" Rena protested, lifting the card she had drawn from the deck. "I activate Rush Recklessly, which will increase the attack power of Genex Turbine by a further 700 points".

The monster began to glow once more, further power poured into its body **[ATK 2500]**. Divine raised an eyebrow at the playing field; Black Rose was the weaker of two creatures, vulnerable to an attack without any barrier to stop it going through. The dragon was facing extinction, something extremely rare and only shown publicly at the Fortune Cup.

"Genex Turbine" Rena called, throwing her right hand upwards, pointing at the dragon. "Bury Black Rose Dragon!"

The front face of the machine began to glow, firing a wide ray that slammed into the dragon, piercing it and ripping through its body. The creature shirked in agony and exploded into a shower of pixels, Aki stared with horror and absolute abhor. She lowered her grim eyes down to Rena, who watched the face uneasily.

**AKI – RENA  
****500 – LP – 200**

"Izayoi-san…" she whispered.

"You're just like him" Aki hissed. "You're just like him!"

"Like who?" Rena asked impulsively.

"He said that I didn't need this place; that I could think for myself" Aki growled, clutching the sides of her head.

The actions disturbed Rena, unable to do more than watch uneasily as Aki struggled to pull herself together. "Izayoi-san, I didn't want to destroy Black Rose, but… it was causing trouble".

"No!" Aki snapped. "It's other people that are trouble, they cause us trouble. You couldn't possibly understand, you've had things easy I bet. You don't know what it's like to be completely alone, like there's no-one else in the world that cares in the slightest".

"I do…" Rena whispered, lowering her head and narrowing her eyes sorrowfully. "Divine told me that my memories were wiped on request because I suffered something horrible in the past".

"What?" Aki gasped, staring with wide eyes at the girl.

"Aki, this isn't the time for that discussion" Divine urged. "The point of this duel is to check your powers and see if we can unlock our struggling friend's powers".

Aki looked to the man, giving him a brief nod. She turned back to the duel to find Rena standing with her head tucked between her shoulders, scratches across her face and body, her matted after the damage dealt and the howling winds. She was beginning to resemble the Fudo Yusei she had battled at the Fortune Cup again, trying to break through the apparent wall that she had built up and tear apart everything she knew. She shook her head, determined to keep things the way they were, the way she knew her world.

**SIXTH TURN – AKI**

"It's my turn" she called. "Draw!"

"Izayoi-san… I don't want to duel anymore" Rena muttered tiredly. "I'd rather we try to help each other in different ways".

"I don't need help" Aki snapped. "Stop trying to change me, I told you already that I don't need your help. Don't touch my mask and don't vanquish my dragon!"

Rena lifted her head, puzzled by Aki's words; Black Rose was gone, her mask was destroyed. Was she experiencing a delusion, believing herself to be back at the Fortune Cup? Did she believe she was duelling that Satellite man again? She pressed her hands over her ears, to block out the distant chants that declared her a witch and a tyrant, someone to be rid of and siding with the social outcast over her; someone born and raised in the City.

"Stop it!" she shrieked.

"Izayoi-san" Rena called, opening her hand and reaching towards her.

Aki opened her eyes sharply, taking a step back and throwing down the card she had drawn.

"Stay away from me!" she snapped. "I activate my face-down card - Synchro Spirits; this lets me remove a Synchro Monster from my Graveyard in order to return the monsters used to summon it back onto the field".

The white card slid out of the Graveyard, taken away from the game and followed by two more cards; those selected for retrival from the burial ground. Twilight Rose Knight and Gigantic Cephalotus both appeared from a white flash that concealed Aki's field for a half-second.

"Why play those weaker monsters?" Rena asked aloud, raising an eyebrow.

"Because of my oher face-down card" Aki shouted, pressing down on the central key. "Dimensional Return. This returns monster from play back to the deck, so Black Rose Dragon will return to my Extra Deck instead".

The Trap card spun open, its name and effect matching what Aki had already explained. Rena gulped, knowing full-well that Aki had every intention of returning her beloved Black Rose Dragon to the game, possibly even to exact revenge for having it turned against her.

"I'm tuning my Level 3 Twilight Rose Knight with Level 4 Gigantic Cephalotus" the magenta-haired Psychic bellowed.

"No way!" Rena cried.

A wide column of pink light slammed down against the ground, shaking the room and whipping up another storm. Aki didn't look back, but instead, threw her right arm up.

"Be reborn, Black Rose Dragon!"

The dragon reappeared, flapping its floral wings fiercely, adding petals to the winds, and unleashed a whole roar. Rena stared up at the creature, stunned by the revelation, the play that Aki had managed and, in doing so, turned the tables – there was nothing to protect her Genex from Black Rose's storm. Aki was showing no remorse, the blast was going to come full force.

"Black Rose Dragon!" the young woman yelled, throwing her arm forward. "Erase his Genex Turbine once and for all!"

The dragon opened its jaws, pouring another blast of purple across the field. The blast smashed Genex Turbine with ease, like it was made of glass, and carried on, slamming into Rena and throwing her back. The girl cried out as she was torn from the ground and launched backwards. She hit the tall base of the statue behind her, sliding down onto the floor in a heap, sitting slouching against the base with her head forward, senses fading.

**AKI – RENA  
****500 – LP –0**

**DUEL END**

Rena's dull eyes flickered; the maroon carpet over the floorboards was moving in and out of focus, it was difficult to tell what was happening anymore. She could hear distant voices, making them out as Aki and Divine.

"_She's hurt. I've brought harm to someone else who didn't deserve it!"_

"_Calm down, Aki. She'll be fine; you don't need to blame yourself"._

"_But… but Divine… she-"_

"_She's a big girl, she can handle it. Seria, can you come by and pick up the girl? I believe she's ready to return to her room"._

"_You're sure she'll be fine?"_

"_Of course, Aki, I wouldn't like to you"._

After that, Rena's senses gave out and she sank into darkness. The voices moved further away and the night became nothing; there was no pain and no panic, she was peaceful and lost in her own way, drifting out of consciousness and searching for somewhere safe.

* * *

**-**  
Arcadia **~ PREVIEW ~ **Arcadia

_Haruki: Rena, you look like you could do with getting outside._

_Okita: Yeah, why don't we go to the D-Wheel course and have a practice?_

_Liquid: It's near Arcadia too, the people that run it have ties with us, so they won't discriminate._

_Rena: That sounds good, Divine shouldn't mind and nothing should happen. Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – Reverse of Arcadia, "Speed World of D-Wheels! Accelerated Duelling"._

_Haruki: Hey, who's that there?_

* * *

**[1]** _"Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!"_


	5. Speed World of D Wheels

**Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – Reverse of Arcadia**

by Yusei

_**Summary -**__ "__As a member of Arcadia, Rena begins to learn of the organization's secrets as a war begins to unfold. The present and the past begin to clash, unleashing a future of doubt as the Signers rise up to battle the darkness__"._

_**Disclaimer - **__I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of the characters._

_**A/N – **Again, I apologise for so long having passed between updates. Though I must thank Red Rose 2231 for the encouragement to continue after the original version of this chapter was lost towards the end of last year as well as everyobe for being so patient, I hope this chapter makes up for the long wait__. Please read and review._

* * *

**Rena -****「****Neo-Domino****」****- Arcadia Movement**

There was a strange feeling lost in the blackness. Like a swirling heat from the distance. Slowly, it was beckoning.

Rena's face twitched as she crashed through the surface. Slowly, her eyes opened, struggling to adjust to the burst of light that shone through the opening gap between eyelids. Automatically, she closed her eyes again with a wince, lifting a hand to shield them from the overhead brightness. Then again, she tried, opening the eyes and squinting, trying to piece together reality. Using her other hand, she pushed herself from the bed, sitting up to find the sheets slipping down to her waist. She was back in the bedroom, Okita and Liquid nowhere to be seen. She surveyed the room, wondering why she was alone.

Then it came back to her; Aki's glinting eyes, the vicious roar of the Black Rose Dragon, the power she felt radiating from the more experienced girl. Sweat built on Rena's forehead, washing away the colour of her face; that was it, she had been duelling Izayoi Aki for some reason. Why was it Divine had put them against one another? He claimed it was to test Rena's hiding powers, but all it managed to achieve was infuriating Aki and damaging Rena. She moved her right hand, the tips of her fingers brushing the back of her head, immediately, she winced. It was still sore. There were mixed words swimming in the darkness, a mention of Seria, worries from Aki, a calm voice from Divine. None of it explained how she had managed to return to the room. The door clicked open, drawing Rena's eyes to the light hair that poked through, Haruki's face appeared with a bright smile.

"Rena" she called joyfully. "You're awake".

The girl rushed in, followed casually by Okita and Liquid, the latter closing the door behind him. By his side, Okita's smile shone on, a chuckle accompanying the calm face.

"Easy, Haruki" he spoke. "She might still feel off".

Rena set her eyes onto Okita, puzzled by what he meant; did he know about the duel with Aki? Despite Okita's suggestion, Haruki was at Rena's side before she knew it, hands gripping the edge of the mattress and large eyes fixed on her.

"How are you doing, Rena?" she asked.

Rena opened her mouth, a confused moan slipping through, only to be cut short by Liquid's intervention.

"Haruki, let her speak in her own time" he scolded the brunette.

"Calm down, Liquid" Haruki growled. "I'm not going to break her".

Rena shuddered out of the trio's view; they talked as though what she had endured was normal. To face the wrath of Izayoi Aki and lose time, not knowing how much time had passed. Her left hand fell onto the forearm of her right arm, looking down at it heavy-heartedly

"I'm fine" she mumbled. The three looked to her, catching the downcast face she made to the pale hands. "But… how did I get back here?"

"Seria-san helped bring you back" Okita answered. "She said you'd fallen ill while talking with Divine and he had an urgent matter to attend to. That's why he didn't bring you back. According to Seria-san, you'd developed a fever while you were with him".

A lump built up in Rena's throat; so the story was that she'd passed out due to an illness that never existed. Her fingers clenched her right wrist tighter; she couldn't expose Divine and Aki as violent people when her friends looked up to them. There was still a large part of her that couldn't accept that would have happened purposely.

"It's true" she sighed. "I was confiding in Divine because my powers haven't been working lately. I was going to see if there was anything he could do to help me, then I felt dizzy and warm. He helped me to his office and then I don't remember anything". Her head rose, eyes crossing over the three, each looking more relieved than she had seen before, even Liquid looked as though he could smile. "Have you all been waiting for me to wake up?"

Haruki was the one to respond, nodding quickly. "I'm glad you're awake" she chirped.

"But don't push yourself" Liquid insisted. "The last thing we need is you locked up in here because you've been unwell".

Rena smiled; this was the first that Liquid showed that he remotely cared about her. It could have easily been an act for Okita and Haruki's sakes, but she was willing to risk disappointment and go with her gut - that he generally cared.

"Don't worry, Liquid" she replied. "I'm fine. The fever's passed now".

"Hey, Rena" Haruki called, leaning forward. "Why don't you come with us? We're going to head down to the canteen? Because of Izayoi-san's success in getting so far in the Fortune Cup, the Movement's said we can have a day off from classes. We were planning to head down there and figure out what to do with it".

"You mean its tomorrow?" Rena asked, lifting her head slightly.

It explained the sunlight pouring in through the window; she'd been sleeping all night like any other person, forcibly resting after the battering from Aki. She smiled, nodding in acceptance to the offer and pushed the bed sheets from her legs, revealing that she was still completely in uniform. It made leaving quickly easier. Haruki retreated to the others while Rena swung her legs around and out of the bed and onto the ground. She slowly pushed herself up, taking care not to jump up and worry the others if she was to stumble - if Arcadia was having a day off, she wanted to be part of it.

With the three reassured that she was capable of taking part in ordinary life once again, Rena smiled and crossed the room to join them. Okita led the way, opening the door once again and standing beside it, keeping it open while Liquid, Haruki and Rena then passed through, allowing it fall shut behind the redhead. The four began to talk and smile, embracing life - regardless of how hidden away they were.

A gleam came from the lens of the camera fixed into the corner of the corridor, watching them firmly. On the other end, Divine was standing with arms folded over his chest, his eyes fixed on Rena, who seemed to have recovered from the night's duel. She was stronger than he expected, but equally weak as he expected. Behind him, Seria waited with her hands folded obediently in front of her legs.

"She could be a problem" the leader sighed.

"What do you mean, Divine?" Seria asked anxiously.

"During their duel last night, the girl seemed to affect Aki" Divine mumbled. "I'm worried. I think that Fudo Yusei seems to exist within her. When they were duelling, she talked like him, she drove Aki to the brink of madness, just as he did. They could easily threaten our Movement".

Seria removed her eyes form Divine and watched the monitor uneasily; there was something about the naïve Psychic intern that managed to reach her through the professional mask she wore. The girl was easy to bond with, maybe because of her frail state when she was released into the corridors of the tower. Seria had a dilemma on her hands; her superior's darkest intentions or the young Psychic girl who trusted her.

* * *

-遊戯王5D's-

Arcadia **~ Chapter 5 – Speed World of D-Wheels. Accelerated Duelling ~ **Arcadia

**Okita / Liquid / Rena / Haruki -****「****Neo-Domino****」****- Arcadia Movement**

Following the lunch gathering in the canteen, allowing the quartet of Psychic students to mingle with classmates and seniors, the group returned to the bedroom Okita and Liquid shared with Rena. The male duo stood beside Liquid's bed, Rena and Haruki seating themselves on the mattress of Rena's bed. The redhead cast her eyes downwards guiltily, thinking back to when she was in the room just an hour before.

"If we have the day off today, I'm sure you guys made plans before I woke up" Rena sighed. "You couldn't have risked a whole day off just waiting for me".

"We knew you were going to wake up before the day was through" Okita chuckled. "Besides, we were hoping that you would".

"What do you mean?" Rena asked, looking up to the brunette.

"There's a Riding Circuit nearby" he replied with a bright tone. "We were planning to head there and practice racing D-Wheels".

"We can do that?" Rena inquired, leaning forward eagerly.

"Yes, there's a number of students who have volunteered for D-Wheel classes in order to create a class of D-Wheeler Psychics" Okita answered with a nod.

"Seeing as we have the day off, Okita suggested we head down to the Circuit for a practice run" Liquid intervened.

"But I thought you said that the people outside here regard us as abnormal and shun us" Rena murmured uncomfortably.

"There's a link between some of the staff at the Duelling Circuit and the Arcadia Movement" Okita replied. "They had a couple of friends who were Psychics and persecuted for being such by others. They referred the people to us, they seem to trust our Movement".

"I see…" Rena breathed. "So they'd be alright with us heading out and meeting with these people?"

"I don't see why they wouldn't" Liquid said with a light shrug. "After all, we were thinking you could do with the fresh air after falling ill like that, it seems your health has some issues it needs sorting out".

Rena's hollow smile dropped and vanished altogether, a downcast glint in her eyes as she looked away from Liquid; a look that Haruki captured as she watched the girl, standing closest to her. There was a hint of guilt in the compilation of sorrow and fear.

"It seems my body's unreliable" the redhead murmured disappointedly. "I would like to be strong like Izayoi-san".

"Izayoi-san is strong on the surface; iron-like, nothing would get to her based on her looks" Liquid claimed. "But she's not invincible; the surface doesn't hold the true strength of a person. I still believe Izayoi-san may have issues hiding underneath her skin".

Haruki and Rena's eyes met briefly, both seeming to be focused on how they had seen Aki a few nights before, during the evening of the Fortune Cup when there seemed to be a disturbed glow in her eyes which went unnoticed by the others swarming around her, ecstatic like they were in the presence of a global celebrity. They could both see what Liquid meant; they had seen the evidence themselves. Haruki was the first to break away, smiling uneasily at the two boys having picked up on Rena's discomfort with the topics they brought up.

"Well we have plenty of time to get there, it's not long gone noon" she chuckled. "Maybe we could teach Rena some things; show how well we've been doing in class".

"How do you feel about that, Rena?" Okita asked, leaning forward with a hopeful smile.

Rena nodded slowly, dumbly, looking as though the offer had taken her back. Liquid broke his gaze on her and focused on the boy standing next to him and the other experienced D-Wheeler Psychic.

"I suppose it sounds like a plan" he declared. "We should inform Seria-san we're going before we head off".

"It's been a while since I've been to the Duelling Circuit" Okita chuckled lightly. "Perhaps when Rena's learned enough, the four of us can have one big Riding Duel".

Rena smiled at the proposal, joining the other two in agreeing with childish enthusiasm. What mattered to her weren't Izayoi Aki's problems or the intentions of Divine, but the friends gathered around her. The people that mattered to her in the cruel world that had forsaken them all; Arcadia was home and the only people that mattered were inside the tower.

* * *

**Okita / Liquid / Rena / Haruki -****「****Neo-Domino****」****- Riding Circuit**

Clouds drifted in the sky, leaving plenty of room for the sunlight to pour over the City. A breeze swept past the quartet of Psychic Duellists venturing from home as they searched for their memorable day, tickling the chins of the girls with their longer hair. The boys smirked at them, silently bragging over their shorter styles keeping in place obediently. The four moved closer to the building, standing on the edge of the narrow shadow, gazing up at the structure in awe.

"This is it, Rena" Okita chirped.

"It looks like a grand place" Rena commented with a smile. "I wonder if there are any others inside. The security at Arcadia was certainly lax about us leaving and heading into the City like this. It's not guaranteed that we won't be targeted".

Okita turned and smiled to her. "It's alright; I highly doubt anyone's going to recognise us without our uniforms".

Rena nodded with a meek smile; the four had changed into other clothes, Seria supplied Rena with some, claiming them to be the attire she was dressed in when she first arrived at Arcadia. The redhead was clothed in a small jumper decorated with pink, grey and watered-down blue horizontal stripes, a few sparkling thread ends across the chest, accompanied by tight black trousers that clung to her legs and white trainers with navy blue markings across, a break in the black soles for a touch of crimson. Haruki beside her was dressed in a grey long-sleeved shirt with a black belt hanging loosely around her waist, fixed into the fabric at the sides where it sank into the jumper, matched with tight blue jeans and black boots in which they were tucked into, a ring of false fur lining the top. Okita stood in a plain forest green polo-neck jumper and lighter grey trousers with brown trainers with patterns of black across the top and consuming the soles. Liquid had changed into a red t-shirt, seen only through an opening in his black jacket, zipped up two-thirds of his torso and the hood hanging behind lined with white faux fur, pale grey trousers completing the ensemble and plain white trainers. It had been a suggestion by Seria, to hide their true faces from the judgemental people of the City who claimed to be ordinary.

"There's also the fact that we're old enough to take care of ourselves" Haruki added brightly. "Don't worry, Rena. We'll be fine, you're probably just a bit nervous because it's your first time outside Arcadia since you joined, excluding the mission and all. We were there on a job, but this is what we want to do. We're here for you, don't be so paranoid".

Rena smiled at her friend, nodding her head. It was Liquid's voice that drew her away and back to the boys standing opposite them, creating a square formation.

"Besides, even if something was to go wrong, we have our powers to deal with it" he added. "What could they possibly have to counteract that?"

From behind the males, a greying man with a large build strode towards the quartet, smiling proudly. He came to a brisk halt behind the two, dropping a hand onto one of their shoulders, sending a chill running down their spines and unnerving the girls who had noticed his approach.

"Liquid, Okita, it's been a while" he chuckled.

The two turned to find the bright face behind them, smiling incessantly, keeping the face led Rena to assume the man could easily be mistaken for a relative of Okita's.

"Tokuda-san" Okita chirped calmly.

"You two decided to get with two girls from class?" the man asked with a chuckle. "Tell me, Haruki, which one of these stole your heart?"

A rose blush coloured Haruki's cheeks, she shrugged it off and shot an irritated look at he man, clenching her fists by her sides. "It's not like that, Tokuda-san!" she protested. "We're here for the day as friends, and to show our new friend around".

Tokuda set his eyes on Rena, who shrank beside Haruki, uncomfortable with being the centre of attention when she couldn't even be sure who the man was, the consolation was the others were friendly with him.

"I don't recognise this one, tell me, who is this?" he inquired.

"Her name's Rena, she joined us a few days ago" Haruki replied with a smile.

Liquid turned to the pair, watching the redhead over his shoulder. "Of course, you don't know" he spoke. "This is Tokuda Kazumichi-san. He's one of the people who helped in what we talked about earlier; he considers Arcadia a great place and says that he wants Psychic powers himself so that he can be a part of the Movement".

'_Normal people who can accept Psychics?'_ Rena asked herself mutely, her mind rewinding back to standing in the Duel Stadium with the boys. _'That sounds like that guy…'_

"So you're all here for a spin on D-Wheels?" Tokuda asked with a smirk. "Come on in, then".

The towering man turned on his heels and moved back down the path he had taken to reach the four, striding back into the shadows and into a doorway nearby. As they moved through the building, Tokuda continued the conversation.

"Class isn't meant to be for another week, boys, is there some kind of special occasion going on at Arcadia?" he commented, peering over his shoulder at the two males following him, the girls at the rear.

"Yes, we have the day off in honour of Izayoi-san's participation in the Fortune Cup" Okita replied. "She may not have won, but she certainly proved that Arcadia is a valuable place; we're celebrating her new-found celebrity status in Neo-Domino; whether they want to accept her or not".

"I see" Tokuda answered lively. "I must say, though I haven't seen or known much about Izayoi Aki, she's quite the looker. And she performed fantastically at the Fortune Cup. I'm sure Check would have been proud".

Rena lifted her eyebrows; Check was one of the teachers within the Arcadia Movement, along with his girlfriend, Nino. Together, they specialised in Duel Puzzles and Structure Deck duels, they had tutored Rena and the others in a class a couple of times since her induction into Arcadia. Hearing that he was the man whom Tokuda had led to the Movement stunned her; he seemed to be so comfortable within the walls, like no-one outside mattered.

"Tell me, how is he doing?" Tokuda added.

"Both Check-sensei and Nino-sempai are doing well" Liquid answered. "They're still together and making the most of their potential in Arcadia. We're appreciative that you led them to the Movement, without them, we wouldn't be as knowledgeable of Duel Monsters than we are as their students".

"I'm glad they're enjoying their life there" Tokuda beamed. "I would like to meet up with him some time".

"I'm sure that Check-sensei feels the same way" Haruki chirped. "Maybe we should see if he wants to come to one of our Riding Duel lessons here".

"That would be great, I would appreciate it if you could pull it off, Haruki" Tokuda said proudly. "So, Rena, are you planning to join the class and come here to learn how to ride a D-Wheel?"

Rena lifted her head vaguely, smiling at the aging man. "I would like that; it sounds fun. I'll use today as a test-run to see how suitable I am for a D-Wheel. That is, if it's alright".

"Of course, don't be so shy" Tokuda chortled. Brightness from the opening ahead poured in, blinding the four who stood behind Tokuda, his silhouette advancing into the white and vanished while they were lost in blackness. Still, they proceeded. Haruki was first to open her eyes afterwards, Liquid and Okita recovering quickly afterwards, Rena behind them by seconds; the four were standing slightly over an oval racing circuit, Rena stared at the track in awe, Tokuda raised an arm, presenting the scene to the Arcadia students. "Welcome to the world of Riding Duels".

* * *

Rena and Haruki were alone in the female changing room, slipping on Riding Suits supplied for classes, a spare that fit the newer student had been found and given to her. The two had locked their casual clothes into lockers side-by-side, wearing the leathery attires of black with white shoulders and stripes running down the front of their legs. A crimson circle had been marked out on their backs and a pale blue ring around their waists. The Arcadia Movement logo had also been attached onto the chest of the outfit, cut in half by the zippers that ran up along their necks, the suit ending just below their heads, exposing half of their necks. Haruki turned to Rena, pressing her fists lightly against her hips and smirking proudly.

"What do you think, does it fit alright?" she asked.

Rena looked to her with a smile, nodding. The two departed from the room, meeting with Liquid and Okita in the hallway between the two changing rooms, the two wearing identical outfits, slightly bulkier for their larger frames. The quarter chatted leisurely as they made their way in search of D-Wheels, finding four set out on the track at a starting line, one pair in front of the other. The machines were identical, white D-Wheels with sky-blue markings across them, contact information for the Riding Circuit and an advert for the Duel Stadium, supposedly to promote both the training grounds they were in and the centre of the duelling heart; the place where the Fortune Cup and all other notable tournaments would be held.

The sun glared down on the opening, drawing Liquid's hand above his eyes as he surveyed the large empty stands, it wasn't uncommon for less important tournaments to be held in the grounds, a duel field marked out in the centre of the track on an elevated platform. Today, however, there was no-one, deserted for the Acadia students, privacy granted.

The four Psychics moved down to the D-Wheels, Rena climbing the nearest, Haruki next to her, Okita and then Liquid on the farther. Tokuda beamed from his place on a staircase nearby, watching the group with crossed arms and a smug look on his face; it warned him to see them using their free day to introduce one of their own to the new world of duelling. His eyes were on Rena as she leaned forward, wrapping her hands around the handlebars protruding the triangular nose, gripping either side of the monitor flashing in front of her, showing the circuit's full shape, the corner calling it 'Drive Mode' There was a strange feeling in her, like some kind of nostalgia; she waited, relaxing her hands as the feeling washed over her. Haruki picked up the helmet beside her D-Wheel, about to put it on when she noticed Rena's strange reluctance.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Rena flinched, brought back into the real world, she looked to Haruki and smiled, trying to assure her nothing was wrong. The taller girl slipped the helmet in her hands over her head, concealing all but the tips of her hair under the black open-faced helmet. Okita and Liquid followed, the former removing his spectacles. Rena followed suit, leaning down to pick up the helmet beside the machine and throwing it over her own hair, the tips of her fringe hanging in front of her eyes.

In unison, they prepared for the so-called race, a meter appearing in the air, two large hexagons slipped into a long rectangular-resembling pointed shape, ten lights flickered, one disappearing after another. In the top hexagon, a red light glared at the four, warning them not to head off yet. When the final light disappeared, the red transformed into green and dropped into the shape beneath, granting movement. Liquid raced off ahead, the most experienced of the group, Haruki followed quickly afterwards, leaving Okita and Rena to a shaky start. The brunette peered over his shoulder to the struggling rider behind, smiling optimistically.

"Try to keep balanced" he called over the purring of their machines. "I know it's difficult at first, but you get used to it quickly".

Rena tilted her body to the left vaguely, managing to straighten up the slanting D-Wheel limping after the others. From her place ahead, Haruki glanced over her shoulder to find Rena's D-Wheel as straight as their's, Okita handing her advice from their lagging positions.

At the back, Rena set her eyes back onto the monitor between her hands and slowly closed her eyes; there was a sense of familiarity, as though she had ridden like this before. Her fingers tightened around the bars, twisting them with confidence. The tyres of the machine began to spin faster, pushing her ahead of Okita, who stretched his neck in astonishment; in her first ride, Rena was already testing herself and the unknown degree of her skills.

"Don't push yourself too hard" he called over the gusts sweeping past. "You haven't been well, and inexperience on its own can be dangerous".

Rena lifted her head and offered a grateful smile to her mentor, the expression one of arguing she was fine and he had no need to worry. Her eyes fell to the monitor and the handgrips either side, gripping them harder, resulting in the machine pushing harder and closing the gap between herself and Okita. The brunette lifted his eyes as he watched her move in, surprised that she was prepared to test her limits and attempt to smash through. Once she was level with him, the girl smiled at her companion.

"It's alright, Okita" she affirmed, returning her eyes to the track ahead. "I feel strong like this; like I can go much faster. Faster than ever before. When I'm running, I go nowhere near this speed. This feels incredible, like we could take off and fly from here".

Okita gazed at the girl with a perplexed face, registering that once her words came to an end, she was inching ahead and followed suit.

"I'm just glad we can share the experience" he chuckled. "Believe it or not, this was Liquid's idea to begin with - he wanted to see how you'd fare. I think there was a part of him that knew you would love this".

"I do" Rena called out lively. She face softened and drew back to Okita. "Are there any differences between a Riding Duel and a normal duel?"

Okita nodded. "There are; in Riding Duels, we have these things called Speed Counters". His fingertip fell onto a meter at the edge of his screen, a bar with 12 hollow gaps. "These appear at the beginning of each turn, with the exception of the opening move, and due to how many of them you have, you can activate certain Speed Spells".

Rena's back slackened, her puzzlement led to her leaning back to listen more intently to the mentor's explanation. Written on her face for him to see was surprise and confusion.

"Speed Spells replace Magic cards during a Riding Duel" Okita continued. "If you use a Magic card, you'll take 2000 points of damage. Speed Spells can only be played after a certain amount of Speed Counters have been gained; some need 4, some 6 and so on. But just as easily as you can gain Speed Counters, you can lose them too. When you receive damage, you surrender a Speed Counter for every 1000 points you lose in one go. The way they're added to our banks initially is the use of the Speed World Field card, which is automatically activated at the beginning of a Riding Duel".

Rena nodded, transfixed by Okita's account of high-speed duels and the various elements; Speed Counters, Speed World, damage and strength. Following a handful of seconds with the same astounded look on her face, she smiled and set her eyes ahead, gripping the handles even tighter. Sparks flowed out of the D-Wheel's rear tyre and the machine raced off ahead, leaving Okita behind with a shocked look on his face. The last thing he had expected was Rena to race off like she had, just after an explanation of duelling; was she planning to challenge Liquid?

Ahead, the blonde registered the glowing circle closing in on them; one of the others behind was giving chase. He set his narrow eyes onto Haruki, from her position, looking as though he were glaring at her; a warning to back off.

"Watch out" he yelled back to her. "We've got one incoming".

Haruki peered over her shoulder, recognising Rena as the rider of the machine storming towards them and smiled. "What speed, indeed" she mused to herself. "She picks things up so quickly. Already, she's proposing a challenge".

She observed the smirk plastered onto Rena's face, a confident look, and one of enjoyment during the high-speed race. She would have never had moved so fast in her life; wings were spreading from her back, lifting her off into a new world that she had been pinned down, watching only through a gaping window placed too high for her fingers to touch. The charging D-Wheel closed in on the two, imposing a challenge to the both. Haruki moved her machine to the side, opening up a path for Rena to charge through, the redhead lifted her eyebrows, puzzled by the girl's choice. Haruki smiled, opening up a window on her companion's monitor.

"It's alright, Rena" she said cheerfully. "Go through, I'll let you find your potential".

"Haruki…" Rena breathed, then responded with a smile of her own. "Thank you".

The redheaded girl revved the engine of the D-Wheel, sending all the power she could muster in her body through to the machine; inching towards synchronisation of a different kind. Rena smiled and closed her eyes; she could feel it - the wind, the speed, each part of the D-Wheel as it shuddered to smash through its limits. Blindly, she overtook Haruki, who continued to smile, unnerved by the fact that Rena's eyes were closed as she passed and comforted by the smile on her face as she moved forward. The D-Wheel charged ahead of her, moving after Liquid, doing so while Rena opened her eyes. The blonde man smirked; he liked the idea of the challenge.

"Bring it on, Rena" he called through his screen to hers.

"I will" Rena answered, retaining the determined look on her face, eyes moving up to the road ahead of her - past Liquid. "Even if we're just playing, I'll still work to become stronger and better. I'll aim to surpass you; that's the point in joining the class".

Her eyes travelled back to Haruki who remained on the edge like an outsider; in her, she could recall the duel between Yusei and Jack, remembering their fierce speed that generated a strange light underneath the strange crimson beast that appeared above the Stadium. She could see Carly standing beside her, camera overwhelmed by the brightness, the gales that whipped them, the strange vision. It all pushed her to work harder, her hands tightened around the bars in front of her. It came to her in a burst of inspiration; she could push herself to her limits to prove the worth of Psychics - and herself - just as Yusei had done so for Satellite.

Okita joined Haruki and together, they watched as Rena inched closer to Liquid, the finish line coming up. Liquid clenched his teeth and set his eyes on the goal, doing his best to ignore Rena's creeping presence. Her front tyre was moving level with his back, putting him in a dangerous position where losing seemed only a matter of time.

Nevertheless, Liquid was first around the corner and, seconds later, over the line. Once victory had been seized, the D-Wheel began to slow, sparks littering the track behind him and smoke pouring from the rubber circles as the machine came to a rough and eventual stop. Rena followed suit, allowing her D-Wheel to roll somewhat, meaning she continued down the straight for a short period. Haruki and Okita managed to stop closer to Liquid, the three removing their helmets and turning to one another.

"Another win, Liquid" Okita chuckled. "Though you were pretty close to ending that run".

"It appears so" Liquid murmured, disappointed that he had almost met with defeat at the hands of a first-time rider.

"But you didn't, that's the right that matters" Haruki chirped. "That means you're getting better".

"Maybe" Liquid sighed, his eyes moving up the track. "But Rena was superior; she was easily the best of all of us. I thought she hadn't ever ridden a D-Wheel before, was she playing us?"

"She'd have to be a good actor then" Okita replied. "I saw the look in her eyes as I described a Riding Duel; she couldn't have ridden on a D-Wheel before, she looked completely innocent and clueless".

"It must just be a natural talent in her" Haruki said optimistically with a shrug of her shoulders.

Rena's D-Wheel rolled towards the trio, the engine purring breathlessly after the intense atmosphere of the race, Rena brought it to a halt beside Haruki and removed the helmet, her hair falling back into the place, though slightly matted from her heart reaching its peak and the emotions flooding through her. Her chest rose and sank at a rapid pace, still working to catch her breath.

"That was a great run, Rena" Haruki cried out gleefully. "I've never seen a newcomer do so well".

"Yeah, are you sure you haven't ridden before?" Liquid asked, tilting his head slightly.

"I can't say I have" Rena murmured, lowering her head. Without the past, she could never be sure, but would getting her memory back help at all? Based on what Divine said, she had suffered horrendous abuse after her Psychic powers were exposed, would she want to remember all that? A saddened look passed over her face, not unnoticed by Haruki, whose smile vanished for a moment, replaced by surprised and confused blinking.

She worked quick to think of a way to divert the conversation in order to avoid further sadness gripping her friend and smiled back at the two boys.

"H- hey" she called. "Let's get some more practice in. Then we'll show everyone what we're made of at the next class".

Liquid and Okita both nodded, the latter smiling brightly and slipped his helmet on first, Liquid quickly behind him. They manoeuvred around the girls and raced off down the straight, ready to start another race of their own. Haruki, on the other hand, remained, and looked back to Rena, smile disappearing once more.

"Is something the matter?" she asked. Rena looked at her, surprised by her question. "You looked a little down; did something happen involving a D-Wheel before? A crash?"

"N- no. Nothing like that" Rena replied, shaking her head.

"If you want to talk about whatever it is, then I'll listen" Haruki added. "I won't judge".

"I'll tell you later, when we leave. I'd rather it be the two of us, but here isn't really the right place" Rena murmured.

Haruki nodded, understanding the wish that Rena's troubles remain private. Her face softened in an attempt to lighten the mood and lure Rena away from whatever it was that haunted her.

"How about we give Liquid another run for his money?" she said gently. "Hopefully, it'll take your mind off things".

Rena replied with a sullen nod, slipping the helmet over her head. Once the bottom fell over her mouth, it reshaped itself into a smile, reflecting Haruki's and putting the girl at ease.

"Thank you" she muttered. "For caring".

The D-Wheels moved closer together and rotated, positioning themselves in waiting for the boys to charge after them. At the same time, they shot off into the new world.

* * *

It was dusk by the time the four left the Stadium, joined by Tokuda, who continued to grin joyfully, satisfied by what he had seen in the four. Rena's arms were pressed against her chest, squeezing the Riding Suit, standing between Liquid and Haruki, Okita standing on the other side of the former, all dressed in their casual disguises.

"Thanks for allowing us to use the track, Tokuda-san" Liquid said.

"You're welcome" Tokuda chuckled proudly. "Anything for Arcadia's students. I hope you all have a good time before the next class".

"Just a few days from now" Okita added.

"Indeed, I'll look forward to seeing you all" Tokuda replied.

Liquid, Okita and Haruki began to turn away, followed by Rena, who flinched and paused when she remembered the Riding Suit in her arms, hoping to give it back to Tokuda personally rather than leave it in the changing rooms.

"Tokuda-san" she called, jumping back around to face the towering man and presented the outfit for him. "I forgot; here".

"Keep it" Tokuda uttered with a raised hand.

"But…" Rena began.

"You're smaller than most of the Arcadia students. It's possible that that suit won't be used again; beside, you put on quite a show" Tokuda answered. "I want you to keep it, consider a welcome to Arcadia and the world of Riding Duel. Some of the students choose to buy their outfits, I'm sure you would have eventually".

"Tokuda-san…" Rena breathed. "Thank you".

"No problem" Tokuda chuckled. "I'll just see you in a few days as payment".

Rena nodded with a smile and turned to follow the others, who had moved a short distance before stopping to watch the scene. Haruki smiled and laid a hand on Rena's shoulder once she caught up with them. Together, they continued forward, the boys opening a small gap between themselves and the girls. Once there was a safe distance, Haruki looked to Rena, now carrying the smaller girl's Riding Suit.

"Are you alright now?" she asked barely above a whisper.

"Yeah…" Rena sighed. "I'll trust you with this, but… I might not be who you think".

"What's that supposed to mean?" Haruki inquired.

"My first memory was waking up in Arcadia" Rena mumbled, looking to the concrete floor ahead of them with a downcast air about her gaze. "Divine says my memories were wiped by request; apparently I'd suffered before arriving because I was found out as a Psychic. I don't know what happened, and part of me wants to remember just so I can find out what it was that was so bad. But is that wrong? It would be wasting Divine's time; all the effort he put into it, it wouldn't be fair to him or to Seria-san, but…"

"It's natural that you would want to remember" Haruki interjected softly. "I don't think you ran away by doing what you did, and I don't think that either way, you would be wrong. You must have been truly scarred and frightened to ask for that kind of treatment of Divine".

"I'm thankful to him for taking away the pain, whatever degree it was" Rena sighed. "Though I wonder how many happy times it took away".

"That must be frustrating" Haruki muttered.

"It is" Rena sighed. "Maybe I have ridden a D-Wheel before, but because I have no memories, I can't tell".

"Regardless of whether you have or haven't, the way you performed out there shows you have a talent" Haruki insisted with a warm smile.

"Thank you, Haruki" Rena spoke, raising her head to the brunette's face. "I'm glad that I was able to meet you, even if it meant losing my past to do so".

Haruki blushed, stunned by the suggestion that Rena would have willingly given up her memories for them to become friends had she the choice. She felt somewhat guilty. Rena lowered her head, adjusting the collar of the pink, grey and blue stripped top while Haruki lifted her head to the scene ahead. Liquid and Okita were still ahead a short distance and from the right, another figure was closing in; someone that Haruki could remember seeing before.

She pointed to the figure. "Hey, isn't that…"

Liquid and Okita paused, allowing the girls to catch up, the dirty-blonde narrowed his eyes sharply. "Fudo Yusei".

The man was Yusei, responsible for ending their dreams at the Fortune Cup and staggering forward as though he were searching for something. His eyes landed on the quartet and paused, allowing them to continue ahead. Haruki laid a firm hand onto Liquid's shoulder, tucking her chin over it.

"Just keep going" she whispered sternly. "He won't recognise us without our uniforms".

Liquid nodded and progressed forward, Okita and Haruki quickly behind him. Rena was exposed in the seconds, lifting her head and smiling at the backs of her friends' heads, having finished readjusting the collar of her jumper. Yusei's eyes widened, stunned by the redhead's appearance - staring like there was something special.

"R- Rena" he gasped.

The girl flinched and looked to Yusei, eyes also wider when they met the yellow cheek of the man crowned Duel King after defeating Jack Atlus under her eyes. Haruki froze and turned at hearing her friend's name come from the Satellite man.

"What was that?" she asked. "Did you meet at the Fortune Cup?"

"Rena, what are you doing here?" Yusei asked, deaf to Haruki's question.

Rena sucked in the air through her teeth, clenched against one another as the colour drained from her face and eyes widened in horror. She couldn't recall anything, but something was happening; there was some kind of pain, a panic, a feeling of the world spiralling out of control. Yusei shuddered; he hadn't seen such a terrified face since one night two years before - during the stormy night when a girl with the same head was yelling at him with a flustered face matching Rena's, looking on the verge of tears. They were wearing similar outfits; sleeveless jackets and inside a ruined building. Something was wrong then, something was wrong now. He stepped forward, only for the ground to be ripped up in front of him, spitting small chunks of debris at his face. Yusei froze, lifting an arm to protect himself, the other angled in front of his waist.

His eyes moved to Liquid, who stood with a venomous look across his face, hatred burning in his eyes, leftovers from Aki's defeat mixed with the strange reaction he had gotten out of Rena. The girl leaned over, pressing her hands against the sides of her head, staring at the broken floor with wide eyes and sweating building on her forehead, looking as though she were going mad.

"Rena!" Haruki cried, leaping to her friend's side and resting her empty hand on Rena's back.

"What's happening to her?" Okita asked, panicked out of his usual character by the twist.

"I don't know" Haruki shouted, equally shaken. "Rena, are you alright? Is this to do with your memory?"

"Her memory?" Okita echoed. Yusei also seemed surprised by the focus of the brunette's question.

"Get her back to Arcadia" Liquid barked.

Haruki wrapped her arm around Rena's waist, helping her along as quickly as she could. Once they came within arm's reach, Okita assisted in escorting the disturbed girl away. Yusei turned in the direction of the fleeing trio.

"Rena!" he yelled.

"Stay back!" Liquid yelled.

More of the ground exploded upwards, pieces slamming into Yusei and succeeding in throwing him back, the young man landing on his left side. Liquid glared at him and stepped forward, casting his shadow over the downed Satellite with a demonic look on his face.

"Stay away from Rena" he growled. "Stay away from Rena, from Izayoi Aki and from the Arcadia Movement".

He turned his back on the victim of his attack and slowly followed his friends in the direction of home. Yusei opened his eyes and picked himself up, pressing a hand over the right of his stomach, pressing down on where the wound he had picked up in the last few days throbbed. He winced, feeling the blood squirming to get out, wanting to flow. He watched the now empty plaza in the way of Arcadia, where Rena and the others had disappeared, aware of their Psychic powers and links to Arcadia. The other girl had said it; she had been at the Fortune Cup. Rena had been alive all this time.

* * *

**Seria / Divine -****「****Neo-Domino****」****- Arcadia Movement**

Seria was jumping from monitor to monitor, eyes scanning over readings over aspects of Rena's physical state and brainwaves. The girl laid in the pod she had woken in previously. Sweat slipped down her forehead as she worked her hardest to stabilise Rena, whose condition was something neither she nor Divine had prepared for. The man with oxblood coloured hair stood with a frown on his face, eyes scanning Rena's peaceful face, resembling a peaceful corpse. He moved forward, noticing her chest rising and pushed one of her eyelids up slightly, finding her eye with a solid iris, no sign of her pupil. The man scowled, allowing the lid to fall closed again and pulled back.

His gloved hand moved to a small panel on the side of the pod, pressing down on a red button at the top. The glass top fell slowly, clicking into place and sealing Rena inside to protect her from some new cruel twist of fate. The older redhead frowned, sighing when it seemed Rena's body was calming down and turned to Divine.

"This cannot happen again, we're treading a dangerous area now" she panted.

"So it seems" Divine murmured. "What did Haruki and Okita say had happened?"

"They encountered Fudo Yusei as they were returning from the Riding Circuit" Seria replied. "Though I've no idea why he would have inflicted such a distortion onto her".

Seria's face softened; she treated all the students like brothers, sisters or even children. She cared for them and to see Rena suffer the breakdown she had tore at her heart. Her hand moved to the glass shell and laid against it, wishing she could grab the girl's hand and hold it tightly while assuring her everything would be fine, like to an ill child. Divine lowered his head slightly.

"I'd like you to interview Liquid, Okita and Haruki over the events that led up to this" he murmured. "I'd like to know light they can shed".

"Yes sir" Seria sighed. Her eyes jumped to the monitor beside her. "Rena has just lost consciousness. At least she'll be sleeping peacefully".

"She won't be as soon as she wakes up" Divine murmured discontentedly. "We have to increase the brainwashing".

"What?" Seria cried in horror. "But in the condition she's in now, that would kill her!"

Divine scowled, disappointed that their project had been disrupted so badly by the mere face and voice of Fudo Yusei. His eyes fell onto Rena, his fist clenched.

"Is he determined to get in my way?" he growled. "First Aki, now this. That blasted Satellite demon".

Seria frowned; she wasn't fond of the idea to any degree, there was a part of her that wished Rena could break through the spell cast on her and become herself once again. But just as the others, she had no idea of Rena's past - she had to go by Divine's version; that which differed greatly from Yusei's. Her eyes moved once more to Rena's peaceful face and wished silently that she could find out which was truth.

* * *

Arcadia **~ PREVIEW ~ **Arcadia

_Rena: Wh- what? Where am I?_

_Crow: Hey, wake up. What's the matter with you today?_

_Rena: This… this is Satellite. The place where Fudo Yusei comes from._

_Crow: Hey, Rena, are you alright?_

_Rena: You know me? Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – Reverse of Arcadia, "Reconnecting Bonds! The Dream Past in Satellite". Why are we here?_


	6. Reconnecting Bonds! The Dream Past

**Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – Reverse of Arcadia**

by Yusei

_**Summary -**__ "__As a member of Arcadia, Rena begins to learn of the organization's secrets as a war begins to unfold. The present and the past begin to clash, unleashing a future of doubt as the Signers rise up to battle the darkness__"._

_**Disclaimer - **__I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of the characters._

_**A/N – **I apolo__gise for taking so long to get this chapter finished; in all honesty, I was doubting whether it was possible I could actually manage this fanfic, especially as I'd been so poor in updating. The duel in the chapter is weak, I'm aware, though it was written by memory from the duel I had with Itsuki, in the same way the duel with Aki was based on when I played through the chapter of the story. Regardless, I will aim to update this more regularly so it can keep up with Stardust Accelerator. Please read and review._

* * *

**Rena -****「****Satellite****」****- Daedalus Bridge**

There was a strange feeling lost in the blackness. Like a swirling heat from the distance. Slowly, it was beckoning.

This time, however, it was much different than the sensation following her revival in the aftermath of her duel with Aki. Rena's face twitched as she managed to return to the surface of her consciousness, her eyes sliding open gradually to find the ceiling above her much different from that of the room she shared with Liquid and Okita. The redhead hesitated before picking herself up, sitting with a spinning head that beckoned her right hand over half of her face, groaning tiredly.

"Wh- what on Earth…?" she sighed.

Everything was still a blur, sketchy details about what had followed her departure from the Riding Circuit; remembering Haruki, Liquid and Okita around her. And then… a hazy mess. Amidst that blank space, there were people, a voice calling to her from a distance, distorted as though she were listening from beneath the surface of the ocean. The sea of colours seemed to be shrouding the last of her memories in confusion; the shape of a person, standing there with dark hair, much like how the vision had been during the Fortune Cup's climax.

"…_Rena…"_

The voice broke through suddenly; still far and echoing as though calling her from the opposite end of a tunnel. Rena's eyes opened slowly, halfway while trying to decipher the origin of the voice or why she was having such problems remembering. Which brought her to the cabin around her; she wasn't in Arcadia, but at the same time, it wasn't as though she was somewhere completely new. There was a somewhat… nostalgic feel about the place.

"Rena!" another voice yelled.

This one different from the other; still in a raised tone, but the sound of it varied; a higher pitcher among the differences. A redheaded young man burst through the open door, shielded only by a ragged sheet. The boy paused beside the bed, dressed in a yellow sleeveless shirt, dark green trousers and black boots. A brown vest joined the shirt, lined around the openings' edges with cream material resembling fluff; the same pale shade lined the jacket's edges hanging open in front of his chest. Fiery hair spiked wildly was held in a steel-blue band, two steel rings piercing the belt above his right eye, a yellow 'M' shaped Marker situated in the centre of his forehead. Dark straps were wrapped around the upper halves of his arms, resembling belts, and gloves of the same grey-black colour covered his hands with openings for his fingers. The boy leaned forward, pressing his hands against his hips.

"Hey, Rena, you decided to wake up, huh?" he mumbled.

Rena watched the boy curiously; for some reason, he knew her. Could he have been someone that she knew prior to running into Divine's arms? But the Marker suggested he belonged, or had belonged, to Satellite, whereas Divine told her she had always lived in Neo-Domino. There was no way that they could know one another, yet he had called her name. Twice. The boy lifted a puzzled eyebrow and stared at the girl curiously.

"What's up with you? You look like you don't recognise me" he chuckled. "How could you forget the one and only Crow? You okay?"

Rena tucked her head between her shoulders, flinching once she realised the major difference in how her hair fell. She leaned back, gazing down at the outfit she had changed into; wearing the same sleeveless jacket as Crow, although the sleeveless top that joined it was a midnight blue colour. Blue jeans, the belt-like straps across her arms and the matching black gloves joined it. A major difference between their outfits was Rena's long brown boots, coming to an end halfway up her calves with a ring of black around the top, which her jeans were tucked into. A chill ran down her spine as the thought that the boy had changed her clothes while she had been comatose crossed her mind and stared at him with a combination of horror and disgust flickering across her eyes.

The boy, who had named himself as Crow, blinked, leaning back slightly out of bewilderment of Rena's peculiar behaviour. A tense hand rose in front of his chest, as though the look on the girl's face repelled him with terror of his own. He looked just as nervous and uncomfortable as the clueless girl.

"H- hey, Rena…" he mumbled. "You remember where we are, right? My place… in Satellite?"

Rena's somewhat hateful expression lifted with the shock of the news delivered. "Satellite?" she echoed, astonished at the fact that she had wound up in the place.

* * *

-遊戯王5D's-

Arcadia **~ Chapter 6 – Reconnecting Bonds! The Dream Past in Satellite ~ **Arcadia

**Rena / Crow -****「****Satellite****」****- Daedalus Bridge**

Rena's head rotated while surveying the room, taking in everything she could; she had never been to Satellite, knew barely anything about the place outside what Divine and Seria had described. The room around the two consisted of the bare minimums; the simple bed that Rena found herself seated in, a worn sheet laying over her legs, a desk with an old computer standing atop and a bookcase in the corner on the opposite side of the door, filled with a few books, some with battered spines or covers barely hanging on, pages crumpled and yellowing. Around her was the proof of Satellite's poverty. Crow scratched his head, recovering from his initial fear of the redheaded girl's distant behaviour.

"Did you rattle your brain too hard rolling around in your sleep again?" Crow asked with a cocky grin.

Rena slowed, turning to Crow with a somewhat solemn look on her face; she felt lost, but at the same time, simply confused about how she had managed to travel from Arcadia to the depths of Satellite. Crow pointed to the Marker imprinted on his forehead.

"Could you really forget someone with such a grand Marker on his head like this one?" he laughed.

Rena smiled softly, even if she was struggling to put the pieces together, she could at least play along. Maybe if she could manage that, she could uncover how and why she was in Satellite. She let out a light giggle in response to Crow's claim that his Marker was a useful part of his face.

"I can't believe you really think that I could forget you with that grin and that huge tattoo" she answered.

Crow flashed a thumbs-up, relieved that he had managed to talk some sense into his companion. Rena opened her eyes, watching Crow with a soft gaze, continuing to smile and hold up the front that everything had come back to her. Regardless of torn mind's state, she determined that for Crow to have known her like he seemed to, and expected her to recognise him; they must have known one another at some point. Maybe… she was experiencing an alternative life; one where she hadn't discovered her Psychic powers - then again, that contradicted Divine's testament towards her history. She would simply take it up with him later, for now she'd wait and enjoy the fresh company, reminded of Okita in some respects.

The smiling faces of the trio of Psychics reverberated through Rena's mind, freezing her as she realised that they were waiting for her in Arcadia; they would be anxious to know how their friend was doing following the strange event that had vanished behind a veil of mystery. A frown returned to her face as her right hand fell onto her left, something not unnoticed by Crow.

"You alright?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah… it's just…" Rena whispered. "I have some friends that are waiting for me…"

Crow scratched the back of his head briefly, then grinned mischievously. "Alright, alright, we'll go meet up with the others later".

"'Others'?" Rena echoed, lifting her head to watch Crow with the same puzzled look as she had worn moments before.

Crow's lips dropped into a deep frown, seeming to mock her lack of recollection. "Wow, you practicing for some act during the next battle?"

Rena dropped her eyes to the floor, unwilling to play a part in Crow's jokes. She sighed, pushing the bed sheet away and swinging her legs around, freeing herself to stand in front of him, discovering that at her full height, she peaked over him by a small distance. It was clear from Crow's response that he wasn't referring to Haruki, Liquid and Okita; he must have confused her concern for friends of his own, perhaps people they were both familiar with.

"Crow-niichan" a young voice cried from outside the door.

Crow and Rena both froze, watching as a young boy with chestnut-brown hair rushed in, dressed in a battered brown hooded jacket, short sleeves exposing most of his arms to the harsh Satellite air, a viridian green t-shirt joined it in addition to shorts matching the open jacket.

"Is Rena feeling better now?" the child asked excitedly.

Crow opened his hand in the direction of the seated female, who gave the boy a curious look. The fact that the child was familiar with her name supported the idea that this place had something to do with her history prior to her admittance to Arcadia, adding to the contradiction against Divine's version. Crow leaned over the boy, grinning teasingly.

"So, you're going to calm down?" he asked with a chuckle. "Not going to cry now?"

At the edges of the boy's eyes, tears did brew, but tears of embarrassment rather than apprehension or relief. "Shut up, Crow-niichan! Don't say things like that; that's not how it was".

"Come on, Itsuki, you kept running around in circles out there, asking if Rena was awake like there was a chance that wouldn't happen" Crow laughed, patting the boy on the head.

Itsuki moaned with each collision with the older boy's hand, knocking it away after a few repeats with a scowl upon his face. Rena took note of the child's furious look, understanding that what was happening between the child and his apparent guardian wasn't simply a game to him.

"You're wrong, Crow-niichan" he snapped. "You don't know anything".

Itsuki charged out of the hut, prompting Crow to step forward, raising his hand beside his mouth. "Oi, I was just kidding. Calm down, Itsuki, don't take it so seriously!"

When it was clear that the boy was running regardless of Crow's words, the redheaded teenager sighed, dropping his arms either side of him.

"What's with these kids?" he moaned.

Rena giggled from her place on the sidelines. "You never were good at actually reading those kids".

Crow smirked at her sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Behind the laughing exterior, it hit Rena that she had touched on an element of Crow's personality and the way in which he cared for the kids, orphaned by the Zero Reverse incident that forged Satellite. She was learning details; remembering details even. Was it really possible that she had lived in Satellite with people like Crow and Itsuki before leaving for Arcadia? Then why would Divine lie? Contemplating the strange clashes between scenarios, she watched whilst Crow sighed, leaning back and folding his arms over his chest.

"He won't listen to me" he grumbled. "Hey, Rena, are you alright to go find him before something happens? We _are_ in the middle of a gang war at the moment".

"Sure" Rena replied, picking herself up from the bed.

Crow turned from her, fiddling with the deck that had been resting on the desk beside the computer monitor. On her way out, Rena snatched the Duel Disk that had been propped against the wall, holding a second deck, presumably her own. Pushing the sheet acting as a door aside, Rena stumbled out into the Satellite sun, assessing the setting around Crow's small home; shacks of similar size and build surrounded the one she waited in front of. A small circular clearing was opened between homes towards the end of the alley, opening into the base of a curved bridge, made of wooden planks and steel support, two paths travelling along the edge of the island broke off from the concrete settlement that Crow and his companions had called their own. Rena's eyes surfed along the unfinished bridge, capturing the end a short distance over the water dividing Satellite from the distant City, the narrow towers of so far away caught her eye, informing her that she was a great distance from Arcadia. In the shadow of the bridge, Itsuki sat, clutching his cards to his chest, his head bowed sulkily, finding him drew Rena towards him.

"You okay?" she asked gently.

Itsuki's head shot up, turning to find the redheaded girl towering over him. The boy scrambled to his feet, desperate to hide his frustration directed at Crow and his embarrassment in front of Rena, standing with a hollow smile and clutching the cards with both hands in front of his chest.

"Rena" he yelped. "I'm glad you're awake now, you seemed to be in a really deep sleep".

Rena tilted her head downwards slightly, wondering if perhaps the Arcadia Movement had been one long dream, perhaps she had never been in Neo-Domino and it had all been a desire fabricated during the night, which would explain the Fortune Cup final match between Jack Atlus and Fudo Yusei of all people. Rena planted her hand on top of Itsuki's head, rubbing it gently with a soft smile.

"I'm sorry for having worried you" she said. "Do you want to duel to make up for it?"

Itsuki's face suddenly began to glow with excitement, releasing the deck with one hand which became a fist in the same instant that the fingertips ceased brushing the cards.

"That's what I was hoping to do before" he called happily. "I wanted to see if you wanted to duel ahead of taking on the next team. But then Crow-niichan was being an idiot as always…"

"It's okay, I'll duel you, Itsuki" Rena chuckled lightly.

Moments later, the two were ready, standing either side of the bridge's connection to the island, both now bearing Duel Disks resembling the original public design from decades before. Itsuki loaded his deck, grinning proudly as he activated the machine on his arm.

"Alright, Rena, I'm ready to go" he yelled.

"Let's do this then" Rena replied, nodding her head with a determined creased brow.

"Duel!"

**DUEL START**

**RENA - ITSUKI  
4000 - LP - 4000**

**FIRST TURN – ITSUKI**

"I'll go first" the boy barked. "I summon Little Winguard **[ATK 1400]** in attack mode".

In front of the boy, a short knight appeared, its face obscured by shadows to the point where only its small yellow eyes could be seen peering out of the darkness. A tight cap sat atop its head with a cerulean band around the base of the azure helm, a small silver wing fixed into the centre. The attire clothing its body matched the headgear, two wings sprouting from its collar and a small emblem attached to its belt. More silver feathers made the grip of the sword in one hand and shone on the curved shield strapped to its other, supporting a crimson heart in the centre of the defence. The tips of the blue cape flapped wildly with the monster's introduction to the field, coupled with a high-pitched grunt.

"Now I activate my Magic card: Reasoning" the boy cried excitedly. "This means that you choose a level, Rena. Then I draw cards until there's a monster I can summon; if it's the same level as the one you said, then I discard it and all the other cards to the Graveyard. But if it's different, I get to Special Summon it".

"I see, he's building his defences early" Rena murmured. "Alright, I'll choose Level 4".

"Right" Itsuki responded with a clenched fist.

The boy moved his tightened hand to the deck and opened it up, sliding one card from the deck, then another. His search came to an end on the third card he drew and glee flooded his eyes, redirected to his opponent almost immediately.

"I drew Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird, so I get to Special Summon it because it's a Level 3".

"So I got it wrong" Rena murmured.

"Yeah you did" Itsuki laughed, throwing the card onto the field. "Thanks for helping me out".

Beside Little Winguard, a much taller being materialised, its humanoid body covered in crimson feathers, with two blue accents running down its chest. The array of soft red came to a halt halfway along its forearms where the brown scaly skin was exposed across its clawed hands. A long yellow beak sprouted from the face, on the opposite end of the skull to the curved feathers forming a hairstyle. Though the most captivating detail of the monster was the two white angelic wings unfolding from its spine, coloured pink on the inside, the monster posed confidently with a smirk **[ATK 800]**.

"I activate Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird's effect" the boy hollered quickly. "Once per turn, I can gain 500 lifepoints for each card that's in my opponent's hand".

Rena sounded her surprise faintly at quick strategy of the boy, unexpectedly watching the five flowers blossom from the cards in her hand, which attracted the enemy monster. The white-feathered wings flapped rapidly to elevate the strange creature, tucking its beak between the petals in order to drain each of the blossoms of their power in order to feed its own. Itsuki beamed once the power was transferred to his Duel Disk, resulting in the machine glowing brightly.

**RENA - ITSUKI  
4000 - LP - 6500**

"And during my End Phase, I can switch Little Winguard into defence mode" the brunette child announced, sliding the card into place. The monster in front of him tucked its sword away and slowly dropped onto one knee, raising the decorated shield in front of its tiny body, eyes peering over the peak **[DEF 1800]**. "I'm ending my turn with three face-down cards".

**SECOND TURN – RENA**

The redhead narrowed her eyes at the display in front of her; there was no chance that Itsuki had been planning to leave a monster as weak as Air Hummingbird vulnerable to an attack, leaving her to deduce the face-down cards were a selection of traps to ensure any attack launched against the strange being were negated, perhaps even damaging to her field. The alternative, on the other hand, was to allow Itsuki's lifepoints to grow to an unbelievable amount, which would make the task of defeating him far more difficult.

"It's my turn" the redhead barked, tearing the top card of her deck away.

Her eyes surveyed the collection of cards in front of her; cards she wasn't familiar with, far different from those she had used in Arcadia. But still, there was a strange unknown feeling that she had seen the cards before, perhaps used them; a peculiar nostalgic feeling came from holding the cards in her slender fingers. Her eyes closed briefly, as though to envision the last time she had held them in the same manner, but nothing came through the uncertain darkness. Her eyes instead snapped open and she swiftly removed a card from her grasp; learning all over again would be the only way.

"I summon Sonic Duck **[ATK 1700]**" she snapped, throwing the card down.

Through the vortex that opened, a green-feathered fowl zipped through, sporting a red scarf wrapped loosely around its narrow neck and a grey bucket seating atop its skull, the handle trapped underneath its beak in order to fasten the unusual headwear.

"Furthermore, I activate Banner of Courage, which will increase the attack power of my monsters during the Battle Phase" Rena added, flipping the card around in between her fingers in order to reveal the identity of it to Itsuki.

"Uh oh…" the boy sounded with a nervous smirk.

"Sonic Duck, attack Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird" Rena barked, pointing to the target.

The duck charged forward with immense speed, crashing into the hovering hummingbird, though showing no signs of stopping. Itsuki was astounded when the two raced past him; his monster struggling to climb off the opponent's head. By the time his head turned, the two monsters crashed into a wall behind him and Air Hummingbird's form shattered into pixels raining down.

**RENA - ITSUKI  
4000 - LP - 5400**

Rena eyes the stunned boy, who was fixated on her recovering monster. _'He did activate any of his face-down cards'_ she thought. _'So was he bluffing to try and keep Air Hummingbird out long enough to gain even more lifepoints?'_

Itsuki's attention remained on Sonic Duck as he waddled drunkenly back to Rena's side of the field and swayed from side to side once back in place. The redhead quickly lifted another card from her hand and laid it behind the monster.

"I set a card face-down" she declared. "Turn end".

**THIRD TURN – ITSUKI**

"Wow, that was a good turn, Rena" Itsuki commented with a smile. "With that Banner of Courage around, your Sonic Duck even has enough to take out Little Winguard. But I'm not going to let that happen, I draw!"

The boy threw his arm across his torso to remove the card from the deck, smirking the whole time. The expression never faltered, even with his field rumbled and his monsters endangered; he was enjoying the game. Rena watched the exhibition with intrigue, largely contrasting the mood at the Arcadia Movement, even in classes. It dawned on her that the two sides of the divide between Neo-Domino and Satellite were on many more levels than just physical and social. The boy threw down his card, opening another vortex through the cracked ground.

"I summon another Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird" he announced excitedly.

Another of the red-feathered birdmen rose onto the battlefield, diving across quickly to the blossoming flowers from Rena's hand, taking its time to suckle from each of the quartet.

**RENA - ITSUKI  
4000 - LP - 7400**

Rena sharpened her eyes once more; it seemed odd for Itsuki to play a second Air Hummingbird after revealing none of the cards on his field were capable of defending his first, leaving him open for further damage. There was always the possibility that he had allowed his first Air Hummingbird to perish in order to lure his opponent into a false sense of security, though it felt very unlike the boy, despite Rena's limited knowledge of him. His behaviour, at least, didn't match such a strategy. Her brow furrowed to strengthen the stern mood about her and waited.

"I end my turn" the brunette chirped with a smirk.

'_So he's not planning anything big yet'_ she wondered. _'Still, I should be careful. He could be putting on an act, or could he just be inexperienced? Either way, I've got to smash through his monsters in order to find out. And once that Little Winguard is out the way, I'll be able to move in for his lifepoints. This feels too easy, maybe it's because he's only a kid. Perhaps I'm just used to the others being a challenge, like Liquid, Okita, Haruki and Izayoi-san. I wonder where they are, or where I am. I hope they're alright'_.

"Oi, Rena" Itsuki called, snapping the girl out of her thoughts. "Are you alright? You're spacing out".

"Y- Yes" Rena replied. "I'm sorry for holding up the duel. It's my turn".

**FOURTH TURN – RENA**

With a flick of her wrist, Rena lifted the card from the top of her deck and twisted it in order to learn what she had managed to recover. She glanced at it in the corner of her eye and threw it onto the Duel Disk beside her existing monster.

"I summon Tune Warrior **[ATK 1600]**" she announced.

The red-armoured monster dove onto the field, its abdomen, groin, neck and elbows exposed as areas wrapped solely in the grey suit covering its skin. Two circular dials of the same shade were pressed either side of its head, aligned with the emerald eyes that flashed coldly. Circular meters were pressed into its breastplate and shoulders, all measuring varying elements of the monster's power, while it stretched its arms, the lower halves made solely of large silver jacks.

"A Tuner?" Itsuki gulped.

'_He may be worried, but it looks like there aren't any Synchro Monsters in this deck'_ Rena thought, lowering her eyes to the cards in her hand. _'Could this really be a deck I've used in the past? This Satellite… it looks like that scene from the Fortune Cup. But what exactly is my link with it?'_

Rena lifted her attention back to the field, where things had returned to her favour. Though the trio of face-down cards had her concerned; while Itsuki hadn't activated any during the turn before, there was nothing from stopping him from luring her into a trap. The slim fingertip pressed down on the central key behind Sonic Duck's card, resulting in the projection of the chosen card shuddering to life and rising.

"I activate my face-down card, Dust Tornado" she called. "And using it, I'll destroy your middle card".

The central face-down card began to shudder and exploded, casting its remains across the brunette child's field, he grunted, crossing his arms in front of him with surprise by the sudden explosion.

"Ah, my Meteorain" he cried.

'_Is that all he had face-down?'_ Rena wondered, eyeing the boy suspiciously. _'Why would he place such cards face-down if he was focusing on restoring his lifepoints rather than attacking?'_

Either way, she had exposed her opponent's field as truly weak, there was little standing between her and charging in for a massacre; his field would be emptied and lifepoints vulnerable. Rena lifted her Duel Disk, glaring over the machine towards the boy's field.

"Tune Warrior, attack Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird" she commanded sternly.

The red-armoured warrior launched itself forward, diving with the named monster in sight. The feathered creature lifted its arms defensively, crossing them in front of its chest, though the fleshy shield did little against the silver jack crashing through its arms and into its chest. Itsuki gasped whilst witnessing the display, watching helplessly as his monster squirmed and vanished.

**RENA - ITSUKI  
4000 - LP - 6400**

"Uh oh" the boy mumbled anxiously. "Now I'm just down to one monster".

"Not for long" Rena called sharply in response. "Sonic Duck, attack Little Winguard".

Infused with the power of Banner of Courage, the green-feathered foul squawked wildly before charging forward, dashing towards the kneeling monster directly in its path. Itsuki smirked and stretched his right arm over the farther of the two remaining cards resting in front of him.

"You're going to have to wait to destroy Little Winguard" he declared smugly. "I activate The Reliable Guardian, which will increase Little Winguard's defence by 700 points until the end of the turn".

"What?" Rena gasped.

Sonic Duck continued its fearsome charge, however, unable to control the speed. Rena clenched her jaws, unable to prevent the inevitable collision between the monsters, resulting in Sonic Duck crashing onto the ground once unable to break through the target's shield. The foul moaned as it flopped against the concrete, Rena tensed the muscles in her arms and throat, about to call out to the monster automatically, though stopped only by her curiosity over why she would do such a thing. Her face was beginning to show the struggle to keep up with what was happening around her; perplexed frustration and longing to understand exactly where she was and why she was no longer in the Arcadia Movement.

**RENA - ITSUKI  
3400 - LP - 6400**

"Heh, I'm not completely useless" Itsuki laughed, rubbing the bottom of his nose with the back of his finger smugly. "I'm getting better, Rena. If I can lure you into a move like that, then I've got to be getting close".

"I see…" Rena mumbled, lowering her shoulders and arms. "So you're using me as a stepping stone to improving your abilities".

"Hey, you use me as training too" Itsuki happily pointed out with a proud smirk across his face.

Rena blinked, still unsure what exactly the boy was referring to. There were still so many details that made no sense, especially due to the distance between Arcadia and Satellite. Divine, Seria and the others couldn't have possibly been involved in the strange procedure; had she been abducted? Itsuki lifted his eyebrows upon recognising the distressed expression creeping onto Rena's face once more, puzzled by her strange behaviour.

"Hey, Rena, are you sure you're alright?" he asked, folding his arms behind his head and tilting it to the right.

"I'm fine" Rena insisted calmly. "I end my turn".

"Alright, then it's my turn" Itsuki cheered, quickly reaching for his deck.

**FIFTH TURN – ITSUKI**

"Draw!" the boy called. His eyes fell onto the card he'd drawn, meeting it with a disappointed sigh. "I set a monster face-down".

Rena lifted an eyebrow. "Nothing more?"

"Don't try and taunt me" Itsuki barked with an uneasy grin. A drop of sweat slid down his face as a sign that acting confident was taking its toll on him. Acting was becoming more difficult with each turn against him. "I've got a good plan to get back at you with working here".

Rena narrowed her eyes, while she knew little about the boy, his tone alone betrayed his bluff. He was hoping to scare her into resisting the lure of battle, just to gain another turn in which he could turn around his luck. But, without knowing much about him, she wasn't about to allow his oddball antics get the better of her.

"But you're right" Itsuki sighed. "I end my turn with that".

"I see…" Rena replied cautiously. Her fingers travelled to the top card of her deck. "Then it's my turn".

**SIXTH TURN – RENA**

"Draw" the girl snapped, fiercely removing the top level and adding it to her hand. She peered over the collection to Itsuki, whose expression showed no sign of a mask. Rena picked up a card from her hand, throwing it onto the space on Sonic Duck's other side. "I summon Flamvell Grunika **[ATK 1700]**".

On the other side of the sulking duck, a purple-scaled draconic monster soared onto the field, pale strips of skin visible down its neck and chest. Copper rings were fixed onto the shoulders of the monster, matching the glove-like armaments attached to the back of its claws and wrists. Trousers matching the shade of the pieces clung to the creature's legs, a brace wrapped around the back of its skull completed a series of pieces, lining the top of a fiery mane that waved from the back of the monster's long neck.

"That's not good" Itsuki murmured nervously.

"Flamvell Grunika, attack the face-down monster" Rena commanded fiercely, pointing towards the unidentified card.

The draconic being lifted its claws, keeping them a short distance from one another, but seemingly groping something between them. After seconds of concentration, a flame burst to life between the two and flared viciously. The upright dragon launched the energy forward, sending it crashing against the card. A panicked squawk emitted from the target whilst its cover burned, the monster revealing itself briefly as a bird with a collar of peacock feathers, shedding some in its violent demise. Itsuki hissed with disappointment, narrowing his eyes whilst watching the flames and his defence disintegrate amongst them.

"Flamvell Grunika's monster effect; when it destroys a monster, it deals damage by 200 times the level of the destroyed" Rena stated firmly.

"Mist Valley Windmaster was a Level 2 monster" Itsuki reported uncomfortably. "That means I'll lose 400 lifepoints".

**RENA - ITSUKI  
3400 - LP - 6000**

"Now let's try this again" Rena declared. "Sonic Duck, attack Little Winguard".

The fowl quacked excitedly and flapped its small wings before charging ahead, storming towards its rival. Itsuki smirked, moving the tip of his finger above the remaining face-down card on his field.

"Are you sure about that, Rena?" he asked slyly. "I could easily have another card that could negate your monster's attack. You have no idea what I've got waiting".

"I'll take my chances" Rena replied confidently. "I'm not going to get any answers by sitting back and waiting for them to come to me. I have to take action myself; this is the only way I can deal with the first question of your face-down card. On top of that, your confidence is hollow, I can see that. So I'll risk my monster for a shot at revenge".

Itsuki gasped at the response offered to him, flinching and keeping his finger away from the glowing key; leaving the face-down card untouched. He failed to react further and watched dumbly as Sonic Duck crashed into Little Winguard, managing to crush it underneath the duck's fervent feet. Rena also remained still until the fowl returned to her side of the field, tilting its head back proudly after achieving what it had struggled with for so long. With his field empty and an attack left on his opponent's side, Itsuki awoke and growled with disappointment that his defensive wall had been dismantled so easily. Rena pointed towards the exposed boy without so much as sympathy or second-thoughts evident in any part of her form.

"Tune Warrior, direct attack" she commanded.

The toy-like warrior marched across the field at a rapid pace, though nothing compared to its ally. Once in the enemy's territory, the monster launched itself from the ground and dove towards Itsuki in the same manner it had attacked Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird. Itsuki, recognising the jack-first stance, gasped and raised his Duel Disk as a shield, praying to fare better than his monster by squeezing his eyes shut. The silver jack collided with the centre of the round core of the Duel Disk, sending sparks flashing across the display and signalling the inability of the monster to pierce through the machine in the same way it had easily obliterated the form of its opponent a turn before.

**RENA - ITSUKI  
3400 - LP - 4200**

Itsuki groaned and only opened his eyes once the monster retreated swiftly to Rena's side of the field. He smirked cockily towards the girl standing behind the trio of formidable monsters.

"It's a shame you didn't fall for my trick, Rena, but then that just leaves me free to activate my face-down card" he called, slamming the tip of his thumb against the key to raise the card.

"What?" Rena muttered calmly.

"It's my Trap card: Attack and Receive" Itsuki announced proudly. "When I take damage to my lifepoints, I can deal 700 points of damage to my opponent. Seeing as you've no fear of any face-down cards I may have, there's no better time to activate this than now. You'll learn that my cards can fight back too".

A blood-red glow surrounded Rena, causing her to eye the centre of her Duel Disk where the value of her power began to decrease swiftly to a vague lower amount, though causing no need for worry. She remained confident in the strange card that appeared to be hers.

**RENA - ITSUKI  
2700 - LP - 4200**

"So you're still fighting back" Rena commented. "Well them, I'll end my turn for now as I've no more monsters to attack with".

"Alright, now I'll really show you a comeback" Itsuki insisted optimistically.

**SEVENTH TURN – ITSUKI**

"My turn, draw" the boy called, ripping his card from the deck slot. His eyes landed on the gift and immediately, his face lit up. "I did it! I drew a card to save me".

Rena lifted an eyebrow, not having expected such an elated reaction to the beginning of the boy's turn. She remained still and silent, resisting the urge to ask him just what had been treasured so greatly, when he lifted another card from his hand whilst wearing a confident grin once more, looking much more sure of himself than at any point during the duel so far.

"I set a monster in defence mode" he stated, laying the card horizontally, just as his previous cards. The holographic projection of the card appeared immediately in front of him.

Rena blinked casually and eyed the boy without any kind of emotion leaking through to reveal to him her uncomfortable position with the turn. "That's no different from the other turns" she claimed.

"Not yet, but I have something that'll change it all together" Itsuki declared, lifting the mystery card he had drawn beside his face. "I activate the Magic card - The Dark Door. This limits your attacks to one per turn".

"One?" Rena repeated.

"That's right" Itsuki chuckled. "So even if you destroy my monster, there's nothing more you can do. And even if you use Flamvell Grunika to battle, you'll only slowly chip away at my lifepoints while I put my plan in motion. Your chances of winning just got a lot narrowed, Rena".

"So you're holding out until you can find something with the power to take on my monsters and eliminate them all whilst restricting how much I can actually do against that" Rena murmured. "It's a clever plan".

"Thanks" Itsuki laughed, rubbing his nose once more.

'_But he hasn't taken into consideration the major flaw in his plan'_ Rena thought, eyeing the boy sharply rather than the cards in her hand. _'If a certain card is in my deck, then I'll be able to wipe him out before he can do much with this little strategy of his'_.

Itsuki returned to the match with his cocky smirk. "I'll end my turn there" he announced fervently. "Let's see what you try to do".

**EIGHTH TURN – RENA**

Rena laid her fingers onto the top of the deck and focused her vision solely on Itsuki; regardless of his state throughout the duel, he had remained upbeat and optimistic. He never once showed the bitterness she had seen across faces in the Arcadia Movement, especially that of Izayoi Aki. To him, the duel was nothing more than a way to kill time; there was nothing about Psychic powers, no risks or assessments. It was a game to a child. Rena closed her eyes gradually, aware that she had lost that very feeling in treating the game as a tool since her initiation into the Arcadia Movement, even against the boy. But still, losing against a kid wasn't something she was prepared to face.

Her eyes opened sharply and arm tore away from the deck, removing the top card. With a slight twist of the wrist, the card revealed itself to Rena; a Magic card from a distance, which sparked a glint of relief in her right eye.

"Alright, I activate my Magic card; the flaw in your plan" she announced, holding the card up for her adversary to see. "Shield Crush".

"What?" Itsuki cried out in horror. "You can't".

"Sorry, Itsuki, but if I'm going to break through, then I've got to knock down any obstacles in my way" Rena called firmly.

Itsuki yelped as the defensive card in front of him spontaneously exploded, leaving him without a physical barrier against Rena's monster. Still, he dropped his arms and continued to smirk smugly; a sign he was far from quitting.

"But even with my monster gone, you can only attack once per turn" he stated with a chuckle. "You're not winning this turn, Rena".

"I'm afraid that's not the case; I will win this turn" Rena protested calmly. "I activate United We Stand".

"No way" Itsuki cried, drops of sweat building across his young forehead. "That's your best Magic card".

"And now I'll remind us why" Rena stated, sliding it in behind Sonic Duck. "Because I'm equipping it to Sonic Duck, it gains 800 attack points for every face-up monster on my field".

Itsuki lifted his hands, raising as many fingers as he could to begin counting. "3 times 800. Let's see; that's 800, 1600..."

"Through United We Stand, Sonic Duck gained 2400 attack points" Rena announced.

"Eh?" Itsuki squawked.

A blue glow engulfed the three monsters, streams departing from the outer allies and pouring their energies into Sonic Duck. The fowl quacked with the growing power swirling inside of its form, growing larger from the sudden intake **[ATK 4100]**. Itsuki gazed at the sight in awe, beads of sweat sliding down his face.

"At least I'll have 100 lifepoints left at the end of this turn…" he murmured.

"That's not going to happen" Rena stated. "With Banner of Courage, Sonic Duck will gain 200 attack points during the Battle Phase".

"Then that means-" Itsuki yelped.

"The duel ends now" Rena finished. "Sonic Duck **[ATK 4300]**, direct attack!"

With the transfer complete, the fowl quacked excitedly and then launched itself forward once more, storming across the emptied field. Itsuki watched the incoming duck with fear, aware that he could no longer evade defeat, but astonished at the speed the bird used to fulfil its mission. He squealed anxiously, the duck crashing into him and kicking up a cloud of dust that choked him briefly as soon as it crashed into his Duel Disk.

**RENA - ITSUKI  
2700 - LP - 0**

**DUEL END**

Itsuki dropped onto his knees, head bowed in disappointment at the loss. Rena waited until the holograms between the two vanished and the Duel Disks shifted into their Standby modes before taking a step forward, about to consol the boy when his head shot up, unveiling a satisfied grin.

"That was great, Rena" he laughed. "Thanks for giving me such an awesome duel".

Rena relaxed her arms and broke her advance towards the boy as the message reached her; it reminded her of Okita in their first duel within the room at Arcadia. Since then, winning a duel had felt like a duty rather than a simple victory in a game. Itsuki's smile lightened the mood and brought a small replica to Rena's face, drawing her nearer and extending a hand to the boy, his eyes opening to find it in front of his face.

"Come on" Rena muttered gently. "Let's go deal with Crow now, huh?"

Itsuki chuckled and seized Rena's hand with both his own, jumping to his feet briskly and dusting off his knees, shedding small blacken grains of dirt and concrete chips. Once they were clear, he followed Rena back towards Crow's, finding the young man standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms folded over his chest and smirking cockily.

"You never seem to go far, Itsuki" he chuckled.

"It's because I didn't want to worry Rena" Itsuki protested casually.

"You shouldn't worry about Rena, she's a big girl" Crow replied lightly. "You're more likely to get picked on".

The redhead laid his hand atop the boy's brunette mop, brushing it playfully, despite Itsuki's brief wince from the grating touch. Rena smiled gently at the scene in front of her; even without her memory of times before Arcadia or knowing what was going on around her, she could understand Crow wasn't like a stereotypical kidnapper, nor did the kids seem to be acting. They knew her, somehow. But it still irked her how the story playing out differed greatly from the account Divine had given; that she'd been abused and neglected by all kinds of people, beaten and tormented just because of her Psychic powers. That wasn't the case in Satellite, not just yet. Her eyes narrowed and dropped slowly towards the ground. Crow picked up on the downcast mood lingering around the girl and smiled gently, keeping his hand pressed down against Itsuki's ruffled hair.

"Hey, I think someone wanted to see you at the Highway" he reported.

"Huh?" Rena sounded, lifting her eyes to the redhead in front of her. "Someone wanted to see me? Who is it?"

"Wow, you must be out of it" Crow laughed. "And here I thought you were bad at hiding it. I can't think of anyone else who would have been on your mind first; Yusei, of course".

"Yusei?" Rena repeated, lifting her eyebrows.

Crow tilted his head, casting Rena a perplexed look. "You feeling alright?"

"I asked her that too" Itsuki commented, looking up at Crow. "She kept spacing out during our duel".

A faint blush glowed across Rena's cheeks. "I'm fine, really" she insisted.

Eager to avoid further questioning, she strode past the two and automatically down the alley-like road. She had no idea where the Highway was, but her body moved as though it understood. Moments into the walk, her solemn and lost expression returned, struggling to piece together why she had been with Crow, who seemed to know her, and how he indicated the same for Yusei.

'_He's the same Fudo Yusei from the Fortune Cup, isn't he?'_ she wondered. _'But… why would he know me? Divine, I wish you could tell me what's going on. I… I don't understand. I'm lost and confused. I'm scared; I'll admit it. Because Fudo Yusei… Because Yusei…'_

_The broadcast continued, showing the man's shocked face when Aki lifted her head slightly, but Rena had turned away already, unable to bear watching any more of Aki's suffering. There were jeers from the audience, each who despised and feared her power. Those who had branded her a freak and outcast based on the snarling voices that passed through the television. Her eyes moved to the faces of the pair standing either side of her._

"_He wasn't trying to hurt her like everyone else. I think he could see that Izayoi-san had been hurt after everything she's been through". Her head lifted, showing the eyes filled with sympathy and dismay. "I think he was trying to help her, to show her that not everyone without Psychic powers is bad. He wanted to show that they… can be good too"._

"_Yusei, huh?" she whispered, setting her attention back on the enlarged track. The light was changing._

_Both Rena and Carly gasped as the brightness took on a new form rather than dispersing – becoming a massive dragon of energy that towered over the two existing dragons like they were toys, more so for the racing D-Wheels._

_Carly's camera shook violently as her frail arms battled the harsh winds, both girls cried out in terror and blinded. Light crawled further across the Stadium, engulfing the interior and shining in every camera lens. Everyone was blind to the duel continuing somewhere else._

_In Rena's blackened vision, a wasteland filled the darkness after a couple of seconds; four young men stood in brown vests and trousers of black or blue. The scene was blurred, hindering any chance of identifying the quartet, but shades of hair could be made out – blonde, black, orange and ice-blue. The blonde turned his head to the black-haired individual by his side; a mouth flashing open in fits, speaking muted words, his friend seemed to smile and replied; his voice drowned out by the vague nature of the vision._

_The fierce gusts whipping them began to die, the light fading, allowing people around the pair to open their eyes to them rub them and stare with wide confused looks. Yusei climbed out of his D-Wheel and began to sprint to the fallen Jack Atlus, whose D-Wheel had spun wildly and fallen; throwing him out and onto his left arm, his faint voice barely reached those in their seats._

_Haruki pointed to the figure. "Hey, isn't that…"_

_Liquid and Okita paused, allowing the girls to catch up, the dirty-blonde narrowed his eyes sharply. "Fudo Yusei"._

_The man was Yusei, responsible for ending their dreams at the Fortune Cup and staggering forward as though he were searching for something. His eyes landed on the quartet and paused, allowing them to continue ahead. Haruki laid a firm hand onto Liquid's shoulder, tucking her chin over it._

_Liquid nodded and progressed forward, Okita and Haruki quickly behind him. Rena was exposed in the seconds, lifting her head and smiling at the backs of her friends' heads, having finished readjusting the collar of her jumper. Yusei's eyes widened, stunned by the redhead's appearance - staring like there was something special._

"_R- Rena" he gasped._

_The girl flinched and looked to Yusei, eyes also wider when they met the yellow cheek of the man crowned Duel King after defeating Jack Atlus under her eyes. Haruki froze and turned at hearing her friend's name come from the Satellite man._

"_What was that?" she asked. "Did you meet at the Fortune Cup?"_

"_Rena, what are you doing here?" Yusei asked, deaf to Haruki's question._

_Rena sucked in the air through her teeth, clenched against one another as the colour drained from her face and eyes widened in horror. She couldn't recall anything, but something was happening; there was some kind of pain, a panic, a feeling of the world spiralling out of control. He stepped forward, only for the ground to be ripped up in front of him, spitting small chunks of debris at his face. Yusei froze, lifting an arm to protect himself, the other angled in front of his waist._

_The girl leaned over, pressing her hands against the sides of her head, staring at the broken floor with wide eyes and sweating building on her forehead, looking as though she were going mad._

"_Rena!" Haruki cried, leaping to her friend's side and resting her empty hand on Rena's back._

"_What's happening to her?" Okita asked, panicked out of his usual character by the twist._

"_I don't know" Haruki shouted, equally shaken. "Rena, are you alright? Is this to do with your memory?"_

"_Get her back to Arcadia" Liquid barked._

_Haruki wrapped her arm around Rena's waist, helping her along as quickly as she could. Once they came within arm's reach, Okita assisted in escorting the disturbed girl away. Yusei turned in the direction of the fleeing trio._

"_Rena!" he yelled._

By the time Rena had managed to claw her way back to the real world, her body had moved itself to the elevated Highway; a crumbling road raised off the ground of Satellite. A ruined remnant of a once-bustling society. In the centre of the road ahead was a silhouette. She strode towards its, determined not to allow uncertainty and fear show themselves in front of the unidentified being. Whilst moving closer, she identified another shape beside the figure as a D-Wheel, albeit a small prototype.

What surprised her more was the figure standing beside it; the closer she came, the more details she could make out about him. Like herself and Crow, the young man wore a sleeveless brown vest, coupled with grey jeans and brown boots. Over his chest was a sleeveless black shirt, decorated with a circular crimson pattern, straps wrapped around the tops of his arms and black gloves covering his fists. Black hair spiked out in a unique fashion, made more unusual by the addition of blonde highlights among a few of the upper spikes and azure eyes staring down the road towards the approaching redhead. Rena's discomfort grew more; the man was Fudo Yusei, who seemed to smile faintly at her arrival.

"Rena" he uttered.

Rena gasped upon realising the most peculiar detail about Yusei and froze just feet from him, staring at his left cheek where the Marker that had been on display during the Fortune Cup had vanished.

'_It can't be'_ she thought, staring intensely. _'Security haven't said anything before about removing Markers from the faces of people. And that can't be Yusei's D-Wheel; he had a much stronger machine at the Fortune Cup. But still… he's standing here in front of me with all these inconsistencies. What… what's happening to me? Have I gone back through time? I feel like… I'm going crazy…'_

* * *

Arcadia **~ PREVIEW ~ **Arcadia

_Crow: Alright, time to take out another team and call more of Satellite ours._

_Jack: Don't get too cocky, with such few teams left, this could be difficult._

_Rena: Am I really supposed to be a part of this? This doesn't fit with what I know…_

_Yusei: Next, Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's – Reverse of Arcadia, "Battle of Team Satisfaction: Treacherous Turf War". This is the first step towards the end of this chaos._


End file.
